


What’s Life Without A Little Risk?

by xxawalkinwonderlandxx



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Bellamy PoV, Clarke is a broke college studnet, Clarke pov, Drinking, F/M, Kane’s a crime boss, alternating pov, and the implication of doing sexual favors, attempted groping, but he hadn't actually gotten there, he’s adopted the delinquents, pot use, some language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2020-03-06 02:04:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 94,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxawalkinwonderlandxx/pseuds/xxawalkinwonderlandxx
Summary: Clarke is a broke college student, Bellamy is a Delinquent, and Marcus Kane is one of Arkadia's top crime bosses trying to take the others down. Would Clarke want to join in his fight against those who would want to see Arkadia controlled by a select few? Well, it certainly doesn't help that her new boss has her in his sights...On top of an already perfect day, Clarke loses her wallet. She’s pretty much resigned herself to the fact that she’s going to have to replace it when it shows up in her mailbox with more money than she had originally had in it and a note without a name. Little does she know, the person who decided to help her is one of Arkadia’s top crime bosses and he’s trying to recruit her. Though that’s not all of the story, is it?





	1. Preface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A note from the MC

Growing up, I had a comfortable life, that’s not something I would ever deny, but when my parents died, I couldn’t bring myself to touch any of the money that was left, aside from using it for my schooling, like they intended. It wasn’t much, barely enough to cover my tuition for the next four years, but it still felt wrong to use it, even for that. Though I had no choice. I sold their house as soon as I graduated high school, but I didn’t get nearly as much as I should have considering it was during the recession, and I bought a house further in the city so I could be close to campus. It wasn’t the best, but it’s not like I could afford to buy enough gas to get me from my parent’s home to campus every single day, especially with my minimum wage job at the coffee shop.

It was hard, and I was struggling to make ends meet almost every month, but I was doing it. I know it wasn’t the life my parents had wanted for me, but they wanted me to get an education and this is what came with that. The day I lost my wallet I was nearly at my breaking point, but somehow, either by chance or some twisted sense of fate, one of the biggest crime bosses of Arkadia found it and decided to help me out.

I should’ve just stayed in bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 1 and 2 are of the same night but from Clarke and Bellamy's points of view. Any time there's two chapters where it's of the same day/night/situation I'll probably post them together!
> 
> I hope you enjoy them :)


	2. No wallet, but, hey, a job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke needs a better job and her friend is able to help with that

_Great_. I took one last look at myself in my phone’s camera as the bus came to a halt. Wells had gone through some favors in order to get me this interview, even though I was _very_ unqualified for the job, so I had to at least try and look presentable. I gathered up my purse and my jacket then slipped off the bus. _Arkadian Incorporated_ loomed before me and I could feel anxiety rise in my chest. _It’s cool. It’s good. Don’t freak out._ I took a deep breath before starting up the massive stairs that span the front of the building, making sure to focus on putting one foot in front of the other should I fall.

Walking into the lobby of the building, I knew instantly that I didn’t belong there. There are women with their hair pulled back into buns walking around in tailored suits with their stiletto heels clicking on the titled floor, and men with manicures and whitened teeth milling about and shaking hands with their clients. These are the type of people I grew up around, but I never felt like I fit in with them. I squared my shoulders and walked towards the front desk where there’s a blonde girl; she was dressed similarly to the other women in the lobby but I could tell that her suit wasn’t the newest and she looked about my age. _Maybe she’s in college too_.

“Hi, welcome to Arkadian Inc., my name is Harper, how can I help you today?” The other girl gave me a bright smile but I recognized it for what it was: a forced customer service smile.

“My name is Clarke Griffin and I have an appointment with Dante Wallace.” Despite my nerves, my voice was steady and I was kind of proud of myself for it.

“Oh, I have you right here, Ms. Griffin, if you take that elevator,” she motioned towards the only elevator in the corner of the room, “and go up to level 49 then there will be another desk for you to get a name tag at and they will direct you to his office.”

“Okay, thank you very much.” I lifted my purse higher onto my shoulder and gave the girl a smile.

“My pleasure, good luck with your interview.”

“Thank you.”

I walked to the elevator and got in just fine, but as I shot up towards the forty-ninth floor, I could feel my heart rate began to quicken. I tried taking some deep breaths, an attempt to stave off an anxiety attack, and by the time the elevator doors opened I was kind of light headed. I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. It looked similar to the one on the first floor, but everything in it looked newer and more expensive. _Dante_ _Wallace likes to flaunt his money_. I headed for the desk that Harper had told me about and the woman sitting behind it seemed annoyed that I was even there. Which, even if you hate your job, isn’t the way to greet a customer.

“Hi, my name is Clarke Griffin, I was told I need to get a name tag for my appointment with Dante Wallace.”

“Name?” The brunette sighed and I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Clarke Griffin.” I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes. Obviously the woman didn’t want to do her job but she didn’t have to be rude about it.

“Identification?”

“Oh, just one second.” I started rifling through my purse looking for my wallet. _It has to be here._ I rarely had anything in my purse aside from my phone and my wallet, so the fact that I couldn’t find it among my phone, a pack of gum, and some hygiene products, meant that I had lost it. “I can’t seem to find it.”

“You don’t have your driver’s license?” The brunette arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow, and looked at me like I was now a highly suspicious person for not having my I.D.

“I had it when I left this morning, I must’ve dropped it.”

“Well then, I’m sorry but—”

“Clarke!” A familiar voice came from down the hall and I turned to see Wells emerging from the stairwell. I had never been happier to see him in my life than at that moment. “Hey, I was told you were here.” He looked between me and the secretary. “Everything okay?”

“She seems to not have any I.D. on her.” The woman, Lorelei, according to her name tag, was looking at me like she wanted to have me thrown out. Wells looked at me.

“I had it when I left this morning but I must’ve dropped it between my house and getting off the bus.” Wells knows me better than anyone, so the fact that I couldn’t keep up with my wallet isn’t surprising. The corners of his mouth twitched up and he turned back towards the secretary.

“I can vouch for her, this is Clarke Griffin.”

“But she—”

“Is late for a meeting with your boss and I doubt he would like to be kept waiting.” Wells flashed her his thousand-watt smile and the secretary’s jaw clenched before she turned back to her computer and began typing. “That’s Clarke, C-L-A-R-K-E, Griffin, G-R-I-F-F-I-N.”

The woman finished typing and then, after a second, something dinged and the sound of plastic hitting plastic came from under the desk. Lorelei reached below her and pulled out a name tag, like the ones we had to wear in high school, put a clip on it, then handed it over to me.

“Mr. Wallace will be waiting for you, take the elevator and go up one more floor.”

“Thank you.” I took the I.D. badge then looked at Wells who motioned towards the elevator. He pressed the button and once it arrived he got in with me. “That was something,” I laughed.

“You get perks when your father owns half the company.”

“I can see that.” The elevator dinged to a halt and the doors opened to reveal the fiftieth floor. There’s another set of doors and a hallway but the names on the front of the doors were D. Wallace and C. Wallace. I gulped.

“You got this.” Wells squeezed my arm and I turned to look at him. “Don’t think about it, he’s going to love you.”

“Thanks.” I nodded then stepped off the elevator and Wells pressed a button and the doors began to close. I stood there for a second, watching the floors count down, before turning back towards the doors. I took a deep breath then walked forward, rapping my knuckles against the hardwood.

“Come in!” A voice came muffled from the other side and I took another deep breath before pushing into the room. _Here goes nothing._

 ---

An hour later I walked back into the ground floor lobby and Wells was talking to the blonde-haired girl from the desk, Harper. She noticed me first and smiled then Wells turned around and rubbed his hands together.

“So? How’d it go?”

“Surprisingly well, actually.” I let out a sigh of relief. “I was worried about being under-qualified but Dante said that he has positions for college students so that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“I’m only working here because it pays more than minimum wage.” Harper chimed in from behind the desk. “It’s not a bad gig, but the dress requirements are kind of ridiculous.”

“Yeah,” I nodded in agreement, looking at the people around me, “I’m sure some of these suits are more than my tuition.”

“At least you’re used to being around people like this.” Wells shrugged and I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes.

“But that doesn’t mean I fit in with them.” I pointed out.

“You don’t have to act like you’re one of them, Clarke, you just have to blend.”

“Right, okay.” I sighed then leaned over, giving Wells a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for getting me the interview, we should go grab something to eat tonight, but I need to find my wallet first.”

“Dinner’s on me tonight, Griffin.” Wells smiled.

“You buy, I eat.” I winked and he laughed at my poor excuse of a joke. “I guess we’ll be coworkers starting Monday.” I said turning to Harper.

“It looks like it! Maybe we’ll be the only two normal people here.”

“Hey!” Wells said in protest and Harper smirked.

“Your dad owns _half the company_ , Jaha, you’re not that normal.”

“She’s got a point there.” I grinned at Wells’ exasperation then began walking towards the front doors. “It was nice meeting you, Harper!”

“You too!”

“Text me a time?”

“Of course.” Wells smiled and with one last wave I was out of the building and heading towards the bus stop again. _Now, if I can only find my wallet._

I decided to trace my steps back from the bus stop to my house, but it resulted in jack squat. I knew that the odds of me finding it in this neighborhood, let alone with my money still in it, was slim to none and I really didn’t want to call my bank and everywhere else I had a card to cancel them. That seemed like a hassle that I _really_ didn’t want to have to deal with. Rent was due in two days, then there was utilities, and my fridge was looking extremely sad with only half a gallon of orange juice and lasagna left overs which I’m pretty sure were already bad.

I walked up my rickety steps and pushed into my house. I had taken to not running anything except the AC in my bedroom while I was gone just so I could try and cut back on my electricity, but that didn’t help with the heat. I sighed and threw my purse onto the peeling blue table that was supposed to be my dining table, and padded my way into my bedroom. Luckily, I still had my bedroom set my parents had gotten me for my seventeenth birthday and that was about the only nice thing I still had from my old life. I sold my parents’ house fully-furnished so I could get a little extra money, but now I know that was a mistake.

The air conditioner was blowing full force and I sighed as I stood in front of it. I could handle the rest of my house being hot, but there was no way I could sleep in a muggy bedroom. _No chance in hell_. I stripped off my blazer and my white blouse, standing there in a tank top and reveling in how the cold air felt against my exposed skin. Summer was approaching fast so I was going to have to suck it up and pay for the AC to run more, but the job at Arkadian Inc. would hopefully be able to help with that. I stripped off my skirt and pulled on my pajama shorts, and threw my hair up into a messy bun. It would take a while for my apartment to cool off and I didn’t have time to waste before Wells got off work.

I had just started the shower when my phone went off with Wells’ text tone, the Kim Possible Kimmunicator sound.

**Wells**

**Wells:** Did you find your wallet?

 **Clarke:** Nope, so I hope u were serious about buying

 **Wells:** You just got a new job, of course I was serious

 **Clarke:** Great lol are u heading here as soon as you get off?

 **Wells:** That’s the plan, we’re going to go out to eat first then to The Ark, dress appropriately

 **Clarke:** Wells Jaha, u spoil me

 **Wells:** That’s what best friends are for

 **Clarke:** True

I took a cool shower then started digging through my closet to try and find something that would be suitable for going out to eat _and_ going to a club, but in the end I settled on a glittery, dark silver dress with spaghetti straps and an almost-plunging neckline. It was slightly more fitted on the left and it was a little shorter than the right side due to the mock-wrap appearance it had. I decided to pull my hair back into a sleek ponytail to try and combat the heat I was sure to endure and then threw on my black leather jacket. I was finishing up my makeup when a knock came from the front door and then Wells let himself into the house.

“Dammit, if you go out like that then all the guys and girls are going to be all over you.” Wells sighed as he took in my outfit. “And it’s the guys I’m worried about.”

“Are you trying to tell me to change?” I quirked one of my eyebrows and tilted my head to the side. Growing up, Thelonious Jaha had made Wells adhere to his idea of what a well-rounded kid was, so it’s not like Wells couldn’t hold his own if it came down to fighting since Jaha made him take karate. He just didn’t like fighting to begin with.

“Nope, just making an observation.” Wells shrugged then held out his arm. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

We walked out of my house and to his car. Jaha senior had bought Wells a newer Dodge charger when we graduated high school, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as the ’69 mustang that my father had bought me for my sixteenth birthday. He liked classic cars and I became obsessed with John Wick’s car. It just wasn’t fuel efficient and if it were to need repairs, I wouldn’t have been able to afford them.

It turned out that the restaurant Wells had planned to take me to was the one right next to my house and I wondered why we hadn’t just walked there, but Wells pointed at my shoes and I couldn’t argue with that. He found a place to park in front of the building which was surprising because it was a Friday night and that place was usually packed, but I was grateful.

He got us a table for two and we spent the entire dinner talking about what I needed to do for the new job and he told me more about the people I would be working with. I had already met Harper and Lorelei, I knew Wells and his father, I was interviewed by Dante, the only other person I had left to meet who was of any real importance was Cage Wallace, Dante’s son and the one who would take over the company once his father retired. I had seen some things about Cage in the papers around campus, mostly just them saying how he’s going to be the next big thing and _a lot_ of different articles about him and his long string of girls. After Wells finished telling me about him, he wasn’t someone I was particularly dying to meet, but he was technically my boss so I would have to make a good first impression.

We ended up having to get to-go boxes and we dropped our leftovers off at my house before heading to the club. The Ark was one of the most successful clubs in Arkadia due to the huge crowd of college kids that always went there. It was all metal and glass with a large blue neon sign above the rooftop bar and, on the inside, it looked like it could be part of a spaceship. In the dark you couldn’t make out much except the stage where there was a DJ, and the bar in the back. If you wanted fresh air you could take some winding metal stairs and go to the roof where there was another bar and even an ice cream station. I was surprised they let me in with my expired driver’s license.

“Want a drink?” Wells had to shout over the music in order for me to hear him and I nodded my head. I held onto his jacket as he pushed his way towards the bar.

“What can I get you?” The bartender, Miller according to his nametag, leaned over the counter in order to hear Wells’ drink order, taking his I.D. in the process. I wasn’t technically old enough to drink yet, but Wells was a year and a half older than me and the bartender didn’t ask me for my I.D. 

After we got our drinks, we found an empty booth and decided to sit down and people watch. I wasn’t much for dancing right away, but after a drink or two and a chance to find someone to dance with, I could let loose a little and have some fun. A brunette caught my attention on the side of the dance floor and there was a lot of looking between the two of us before I decided to get up and ask her to dance. As I got closer, I could see that her hair was half pulled back and braided and the way she looked at me made my body heat up.

“Do you want to dance?” I leaned over and spoke in her ear. She pulled back and glanced towards the table where Wells was checking his phone.

“What about your boyfriend?”

“Not my boyfriend.” I pointed out and the other girl smirked.

“I’m Lexa.”

“Clarke.”

“Well, Clarke, let’s dance.” Lexa grabbed my hand and pulled me into the throng of people on the dance floor.

We didn’t talk while danced, but the way we danced together made me feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time. The last girl I had been with was Niylah my freshman year, but there was something about this girl, Lexa, that had me completely mesmerized. She didn’t back down from what she wanted and she wasn’t afraid to take control of the situation. I didn’t mind that either.

I lost track of time and before I knew it, Lexa was dragging me to a darkened corner of the bar and it was like we couldn’t get enough of each other. Her lips on mine, her tongue, her hands, between the alcohol and the intoxicating girl that was pressed up against me, I didn’t remember what day it was or the fact that I had been stressed about bills only an hour before. We were interrupted by one of her friends who said something about them needing to go, and before I could ask her for her number, she was gone. _Damn._ I pushed my way back towards the booth and found Wells sprawled across it with a drink already waiting for me.

“Have fun?” Wells said without looking up from his phone.

“Yeah, I did.” I sat down and took a sip of the mojito, loving how cold it was. “Why didn’t you ask someone to dance?”

“Because we both know I can’t dance.” Wells smirked and ate the olives out of his martini.

“I can teach you.” I wiggled my eyebrows and he barked out a laugh.

“No offense, Clarke, but we both know that would be weird. It’s not like us learning to waltz when we were kids.”

“True. Well,” I scanned the crowd, looking for someone that could be a good dance partner for him. “What about her?” I pointed towards a girl with dark hair who seemed to be looking at us. Well, Wells more specifically. “I think she wants to dance with you.”

Wells followed my direction and looked at the girl who smiled then looked away. “You think?”

“I do.”

“Alright,” Wells sighed then pushed himself out of the booth. “If this doesn’t go well then I’m blaming you.”

I watched as he walked over to the girl and started up a conversation. She looked nice enough and she was smiling at him a lot which was a really good sign. After a few minutes of them talking, she grabbed his hand and started towards the dance floor and Wells turned around and gave me thumbs up. I laughed and held up my thumbs too. _Dork._

When I finished my drink I found that I was starting to get a headache, so I slid out of the booth and headed towards the bar. A second bartender was there now and it took him a second to work his way down to me, but when he did, he seemed to know what I needed, and he handed me a bottle of water without me having to ask. I put it on Wells’ tab then scanned the dance floor for my friend. For someone who said they didn’t dance, Wells was certainly moving with the other girl but he seemed to feel eyes on him because he looked at me and I motioned towards the roof. He gave me a quick nod before turning back towards the girl in front of him.

I made my way towards the spiraling metal staircase and pushed my way out onto the rooftop. There was a slight breeze and with how sweaty I was it made goosebumps rise on my exposed skin. I scanned the roof then walked towards one of the seats near the railing. From the roof you could see the entire city, and the river that runs along side it. It’s wasn’t the prettiest city by any means, but it was still nice to look at from high up.

“Can I join you?” A male voice brought my attention back to the rooftop and I turned to look at him. Standing a few feet away from me was Cage Wallace, a person whose picture I had only seen in the newspaper and who I was about to start working for the following week. _Play nice_.

“Sure.” I gestured towards the empty seat across from me.

“Thank you.” He sat down and crossed his legs, resting his right leg over his left. “Enjoying the view?” Cage motioned towards the rest of the city and I turned to look again.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.” I turned back towards him and gave him a smile.

“I’m Cage, Cage Wallace.” He held out his hand and I shook it, but the way he smiled and how his hand felt in mine unsettled me.

“Clarke. I’m actually going to start working at Arkadian Inc. on Monday.”

“Are you now?” Cage’s eyebrows arched towards his hairline. “Then I guess this is a good time to get to know each other.” Cage moved closer to the edge of his seat and I felt myself leaning back instinctively.

He didn’t move closer, but he didn’t move back either, so I had to be fine with the current situation. I told myself that the only reason why I was nervous was because I was meeting my future boss for the first time and the fact that I was slightly too drunk to talk to him reasonably. Cage seemed to let my little intoxication slide since we were at a club, and he asked me about what I was studying in college, why I was deciding to work at Arkadian Inc., and just general questions about myself.

I answered as politely as possible and asked him questions in return. I didn't know the time but I didn’t want to risk checking and upsetting Cage, but when Wells appeared on the roof, I was happy to see him. He found me instantly and when he noticed Cage next to me, he quirked an eyebrow.

“Clarke, I was looking all over for you.” Wells reached us and I held my hand out so he could help me up. “Cage, nice to see you.”

“Wells Jaha, I’m surprised to see you here.” Cage looked between me and Wells before settling on my friend. “You two know each other?”

“Our entire lives.” Wells smiled at me and despite the uneasiness I had felt around Cage, I smiled back. “But we’re actually late for a meet up with our friends.” Wells pulled me closer and I went willingly. _Nice save_.

“Well, in that case, Clarke,” Cage said turning towards me, “it was nice meeting you.” He smiled and it sent a chill down my spine. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” Cage winked and I gave him by best smile, telling him bye before Wells brought me back to the stairs.

We made our way through the club and to his car; once I sat down in the passenger seat, I took off my heels and sighed in relief. Wells didn’t say anything as he pulled out onto the road but after a few minutes of driving in silence I turned to look at him.

“Is Cage always that creepy seeming or is that just me?”

“Uh,” Wells glanced at me before turning back towards the road. “I told you that he’s hard to warm up to at first. I don’t know what it is, but something about him just rubs you the wrong way in the beginning.”

“Yeah, I got that.” I sighed and leaned back against the soft seats, propping my feet up on the dash. “I think that went well considering I’m kind of drunk. Do you think he noticed?”

“I’m pretty sure he was drunk too.”

I thought back on our interaction. Cage hadn’t seemed drunk, but then again, I never did either unless I was really drunk. “I guess.”

We spent the rest of the drive in silence and I began to nod off as we neared my house. When Wells came to a stop in my driveway I woke up. “Hey, what happened to the girl you were dancing with?”

“She had to leave, but I got her number though.” Wells pulled a napkin out of his pocket with the name Sasha at the top, block numbers, and a lipstick kiss. _Interesting._

“At least one of us got a number tonight.” I wiggled my eyebrows and he shooed me out of his car. “Sure you don’t want to come in?”

“Can’t, mandatory breakfast with my dad in the morning. He says that you can come too if you want.”

“Can’t, I was planning on studying for finals.”

“Alright, I’ll let him know you’ll be hungover,” Wells teased and I rolled my eyes. “See you later?”

“Later, Jaha.” I blew him a kiss and he began backing out of my driveway.

Shoes in hand, I made my way up the stairs and realized I hadn’t checked my mailbox. Undoubtedly, there was going to be bills and junk mail that I didn’t want to look at, but I couldn’t let my mailbox get full. I sighed and unlocked my front door before opening the box that was next to it. I grabbed the stack of envelops then did a sweep at the bottom of the box to make sure I had gotten everything when my hand brushed against something hard. I reached over again and pulled out the leathery object. _My wallet._ Opening it, I did a quick scan to make sure all of my cards were there, which they were, then I checked to see if my cash was still there, _probably not_ , except, it was there; only it had a lot more in it than it originally had that morning when I lost it.

I stared at the wad of cash. I had max forty dollars in there when I left my house, now it looked like it was nearing a few hundred. _What the fuck?_ I snapped my head up, looking around to see if I could spot anyone. _I have to be getting punked._ _Right?_ There was nothing unusual about my street, but that didn’t mean I just wasn’t seeing it. I swallowed then pushed my way into my house, bolting the door behind me.

I peeled off the dress I had been wearing and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I loved getting dressed up but there’s just something about changing into comfy clothes at the end of the day that’s borderline orgasmic. Afterwards, I settled on my bed and stared at my wallet in my hands. _Maybe I’m just that drunk_. The room was spinning slightly but I decided to take the money out and count it to see how much there actually was. _Twenty, forty, sixty, eighty…_

In the end, I had exactly five-hundred-forty dollars. I looked at the money that was sitting on my bed. _That would be enough to cover all of my bills and buy groceries_. I shook my head, urging myself to think straight. I looked in my wallet again to see if I could find anything else, and I found a little white card wedged behind my driver’s license.

_A gift, I figured you could use it_

There was no name, no phone number, no address, nothing but the swirly, black words against a stark white card. I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. _Alright. Calm down. You’re drunk and we’ll figure this out in the morning._ I gathered up the money and the note and put it back in my wallet, then placed it on my nightstand and turned off my bedroom light. _What’s happening. What’s happening. What’s happening_. I tried to calm my racing mind and willed myself to go to sleep. I must’ve been more drunk than I thought because once I got past the feeling of the room spinning, I passed out and entered a dark, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What do you think? I’m really interested in seeing where this story goes and if you have any questions or comments then let me know down below! I’d love to hear from you :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Xx


	3. I’m not a babysitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy could’ve thought of a hundred better ways to spend his Friday night. Trailing after a blonde was not one of them.

_Kane has to be out of his goddamned mind._

“You want me to _what_?” _Surely I heard him wrong._

“You heard me, I want you to follow her, keep an eye on her.” The older man leaned back against his leather chair and steepled his fingers in front of his face.

“You’ve already given her five-hundred dollars, don’t you think that’s enough?” I couldn’t help the rise in my voice. Marcus Kane had a habit of helping down-on-their-luck kids but that didn’t mean that he had to recruit all of them, too. “I’m not a babysitter!”

“I didn’t say you were, Bellamy.” Marcus arched an eyebrow at me. “Is there any particular reason _why_ you don’t want me to recruit her?”

 _Well, no._ The girl, Clarke, as her license said, seemed like she was a fine enough person, but did she seem like the type of person that would want to join us? No. No she didn’t. “I just don’t think recruiting her is a good idea, she doesn’t seem like the type.”

“One could say that about Octavia, or Harper, would you say they look the type?” Marcus challenged and I could feel myself fighting a losing battle.

“They’re different.”

“Just like this girl is different.” Marcus leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “There is no certain  _look_ , Bellamy. I think she could be a valuable asset to us.”

I sighed, leaning back in the old wooden chair. “You just want me to follow her? No engaging?”

“No engaging.” Marcus confirmed, nodding his head.

“Alright, can I have her address?”

\---

Clarke Griffin’s house is in a neighborhood I wouldn’t expect a girl to live in alone. Not that it’s particularly _bad_ , but there are definitely some shady figures around there. Her house is old and looks well-lived in, but I could tell that she’s tried to take care of it. Looking at her and where she lives, you wouldn’t think she came from money, but looking at that car in her driveway? She must’ve been well off. I couldn’t help but be a little envious.

I got to her house as soon as she was returning from wherever it was she went. I could see her checking the street as she walked home, obviously looking for the wallet she must’ve realized she lost. She climbed her stairs and I expected her to check her mail, since it had been kind of full when Kane and I had dropped off her wallet earlier, but she just went straight inside. I was sitting on the second floor of the house across the street from hers, an air B&B that Kane had insisted on renting from so I wouldn’t just be sitting out on the street.

By the time I got a text it was nearly six o’clock and I was beginning to wonder if Kane was really going to have me sitting her all night waiting for her to do something when my phone went off. _Speak of the devil._

**Kane**

**Kane:** Harper has been in touch, Clarke is supposed to start working at Arkadian Inc. on Monday and tonight she is going out to eat with a friend, Wells Jaha

 **Bellamy:** Boyfriend?

 **Kane:** Careful, son, your curiosity is showing

I rolled my eyes and looked up with just enough time to see someone walk into Clarke’s house. _Must be Wells Jaha._ He and Clarke walked out a minute later with Clarke holding onto his arm as they made their way to his car. His wasn't as nice looking as Clarke’s mustang, but a nice car nonetheless. I looked at Clarke again and my mouth went dry. The way the dress hugged her curves and, _god_ , the neckline made her boobs look fucking amazing. I shook my head, reminding myself that I was there on an assignment. I sighed and headed downstairs, just in time to figure out where they were going.

“It’s right around the corner, why can’t we walk?” Clarke’s voice carried across the road and I began fiddling with my motorcycle. I looked over and Wells pointed towards the ground before they both got into his car.

Thankfully, the two of them were seated at a table close to the bar so it didn’t take much for me to get a seat close to them and listen to their conversation. Yeah, eavesdropping is rude, but I had a job to do. Their conversation wasn’t anything particularly interesting, just about what it’s going to be like for Clarke to start her new job at Arkadian Inc. It was really boring. After about an hour and a half I heard Wells ask if she was ready to go to The Ark and I couldn’t help but smile.

I followed them back to Clarke’s house as they brought their leftovers inside then made sure to keep my distance as I followed them to the club. I shouldn’t have been surprised that that was somewhere the two of them wanted to go, many kids in college go there; it’s how Kane makes so much money from it. Clarke and her friend Wells were able to get a head of the long line and I began to wonder just how much money Wells Jaha had. Dax let me in without a word, and it didn’t take long to spot Clarke’s blonde hair.

From looking at her driver’s license, I knew she wasn’t old enough to drink but apparently Jaha was because Miller only carded him and didn’t seem to notice her. I watched as the two of them made their way to a booth off to the side and took a seat a few people down from the edge of the bar. Miller noticed me almost immediately.

“What’re you doing here? I thought it was your night off.”

“It was, but Kane has me keeping an eye on someone.” I pointed towards the blonde off to the side and Miller looked over.

“Oh, I didn’t notice her come in.”

“I saw that.”

“He bought her a drink, didn’t he?”

“Yep.”

Miller sighed and ran his hand over his short hair. “Oops.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not an undercover cop.” I smirked and Miller grinned.

“Same thing as usual?”

“Yeah, please.”

Miller and I chatted and it helped make keeping an eye on Clarke easier. I could have a conversation with Miller but keep glancing over to where Clarke and her friend were sitting without being bored out of my mind. There was someone Clarke was staring at but I didn’t risk turning around to look, at least not then, but when I turned to check on her after talking with Miller and didn’t see her, I swiveled around in my seat.

She was talking to a brunette on the edge of the dance floor and curiosity began to bubble into my mind. It was hard to keep an eye on them while Clarke and the other girl danced, but Clarke’s blonde hair helped somewhat. I didn’t want to stare at them, though, because I’m not a creep, so I asked Miller to tell me if anything should happen while my back was turned to them.

“Uh, something’s definitely happening now.” I turned in time to see the brunette drag Clarke towards a dark corner of the club and, for some reason, I wondered what it would’ve been like had it been me who took her. Watching Clarke dance, just her alone, was enough to make my thoughts run wild and I cursed myself for letting my mind get caught up in someone I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on. _I blame the alcohol._  

“Well, guess it’s time to go home.” I downed the rest of my drink and Miller handed me a water bottle.

“You’re attracted to her.” The way Miller said it, like it was statement rather than a question, made me arch an eyebrow.

“What?”

“The blonde, you think she’s hot.”

“Uh…”

“Hey, no judgement.” Miller held up his hands before getting to work clearing some of the glasses off the bar. “Not my type, but that dress is pretty nice.”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh.” Miller eyed me suspiciously before calling Murphy over. “Tell Bellamy to quit denying that he thinks the blonde is hot.”

“Quit denying the blonde is hot.” Murphy grumbled before pouring himself a shot.

“Drinking on the job?” I asked and Murphy glared at me.

“I think I deserve it after today.”

“Oh, yeah, the Azgeda meeting. How’d that go?”

“Ontari is a fucking _nightmare._ I think she wants to eat me alive _._ ”

I listened to Murphy talk about the cousin of the leader of the Azgeda Mafia. Well, mafia is kind of a strong word for them now, they’ve mellowed out since Roan took his mother’s place as the head. We have a good standing with them, Kane and Roan seem to get along relatively well, but Ontari seems deadest on reverting back to how things where when Nia was in charge. Not that Roan would let that happen.

Too preoccupied with Murphy’s story, I forgot to check on Clarke and when I finally realized that and turned around, she wasn’t in the corner with the brunette anymore. _Maybe they went home_. I was about to look at the booth where her friend had been when I noticed her at the end of the bar. Murphy seemed to notice her too and made his way down to her. From that close, I could see that her eyes were blue, like my favorite Henley I always wore, and I could see where some of her hair had fallen out of her ponytail. If I thought she was attractive from the window earlier, she was stunning as I looked at her now.

She didn’t say anything but Murphy handed her a glass of water and she smiled gratefully. If there’s one thing I would never understand about John Murphy, it’s his way of reading people. It’s why Kane recruited him. Clarke said something to him and he nodded, then she turned around and headed towards the stairs that lead to the roof. With one last look to Miller and Murphy, I followed her.

The temperature immediately dropped once I get through the door and onto the roof, even though its almost summertime. I made my way towards the bar and sat near Octavia who was working the ice cream station since she wasn’t old enough to bartend yet.

“I’m surprised to see you here, big brother.”

“Assignment from Kane.”

“Oh, yeah, he told me about that.” Octavia grabbed a cone and filled it with chocolate ice cream before handing it to me. “You followed the person here?”

“Yep.” I motioned towards Clarke who was sitting nearing the railing of the roof, looking out at the city. She looked wistful, and there was a slight redness to her cheeks that made her look even more attractive.

“You’re staring, Bell.” I brought my attention back to my little sister who was looking at me with her famous _you’re-going-to-do-something-stupid_ looks.

“I am supposed to keep an eye on her.” I pointed out and she snorted.

“Yep, that’s totally what you’re doing.” She teased before turning to help a customer.

Before long, a tall man walked up to Clarke and he said something because she kind of jumped before looking at him. I couldn't see who it was, but I watched as she gave him a small smile and gestured towards the seat across from her. He made himself comfortable and held his hand out for Clarke to shake. Now, it may have been the fact that I had already had a couple of drinks, but when Clarke shook his hand, it was like something was _off_. I could see it in the way she held herself and the slight dip of her smile.  _Is that..._

“Yeah, that's Cage Wallace.” Octavia’s voice answered my silent question.

“Really?” I didn’t take my eyes off the two of them. Clarke looked… _uncomfortable._

“Yep, he’s been up here for like the past hour. He's creeping me out.” I watched as Cage moved closer towards Clarke and she moved back. It was enough to be noticeable, but Cage Wallace either hadn’t seen it or was too caught up to really care. 

“Did he do something to you?” I turned my attention back towards Octavia and she shook her head.

“No, he just tried to hit on me a couple of times.” She scrunched her face up. “He’s really drunk right now.”

Looking back at Clarke and Cage, I could see it. His movements weren’t as smooth as they could’ve been, but Clarke seemed relatively fine, even if she was a little more rigid. It’s hard to just sit back and only observe something happening without having the ability, or the authority really, to do something. I was only supposed to watch Clarke, not interact with her, but if Cage did anything to make her any more uncomfortable then I wouldn’t have had a choice.

About twenty minutes later her friend, Wells, made his way out onto the roof and he caught sight of her immediately. I watched as her face lit up and I was pretty sure she let out a little sigh of relief as her friend got closer. When Wells reached her, she held out her hand and he helped her up, keeping hold of it. Cage and Wells exchanged some words and when Cage smiled at Clarke, I noticed her squeeze Wells’ hand a little harder and he pulled her closer. _Thank god._

Octavia and I watched them head back towards the stairs and then Cage Wallace got up, making his way towards my little sister. Octavia put on her customer-service face and smiled, asking what he what flavor he wanted. The way he grinned at her made anger rise up in my chest. He reached out and tucked a piece of hair back behind her ear, but didn’t remove his hand from her head.

“How about I get a taste of you?” Cage leaned forward and Octavia backed up, her eyes going wide. I stood and nearly knocked my chair over in the process. 

“Get your hands off of her and back the fuck up,” I growled. It took everything in me to not yell on the rooftop, but I couldn’t draw attention to myself.

Cage dropped his hand and turned towards me, eyeing me lazily. “I suggest you back off and let me and the pretty one have a conversation.”

I could feel my body thrumming with anger as I walked towards him. “I said, fuck off.” My hands curled into fists as I got closer to him.

“Bellamy—”

“No, O, he doesn’t get to be a predator here.”  _My sister, my responsibility._ “I suggest you leave before I have you thrown out for sexually harassing her.”

“What if I don’t? Who’s going to throw me out? You?” Cage slurred then leaned forward. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “I’m untouchable, boy.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Kane’s voice came from behind me and I could see Octavia let out a sigh of relief from beside me. “Mr. Wallace, might I suggest a glass of water and a ride home?” Kane walked towards us, his eyes never leaving Cage.

“Thank you, Marcus, that would be appreciated.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean from me.” Kane pointed towards the door that lead back inside. “The exit is over there.”

Cage looked between me and Kane, narrowing his eyes before spitting at our feet. I moved to follow him but Kane grabbed the back of my shirt.

“I told you to keep an eye on Clarke Griffin.” Kane’s voice was stern. If there’s anything he’s doesn't like, it’s problems being caused at his club. 

“I was, but when she left Cage came up and tried to force himself on Octavia, I couldn’t just stand there, Kane!” Understanding, and concern, and anger all flashed in Kane’s eyes before he turned to my sister.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just, a little creeped out.” I looked at her. My sister was strong, but she was shaking.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Kane held his arm open and Octavia slipped from underneath the bar.

“Thanks, big brother.” She threw her arms around my neck and I wrapped mine around her.

“Get some sleep, O.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek then huddled under Kane’s arm.

“And you, should get back to your assignment.” Kane reminded me.

I followed Kane and Octavia downstairs, giving Murphy and Miller a nod, and made it out of the club with enough time to see Wells’ car pull around the corner. I swore and ran towards my motorcycle. After what happened at the club I figured it was safe to assume that Clarke was going back home and I turned out to be right when I caught sight of them at red light a few car lengths ahead of me.

I stayed behind them before deciding it would probably be better if I beat them back to the house so I would have enough time to get upstairs by the time they parked. I had just parked my bike when headlights came from down the street and a car pulled into Clarke’s driveway. I pressed myself against the side of the air B&B so I was covered by as much of the shadows as possible. Clarke and her friend were talking, and since there was no one else out, it wasn’t hard to hear Clarke’s side of the conversation.

“Sure you don’t want to come in? Can’t, I was planning on studying for finals. Later, Jaha.” I watched as she blew him a kiss then made her way onto her porch. _So, he’s definitely just her friend, but they seem pretty close. Maybe she_ is _only into chicks_.

She unlocked her door then went for her mailbox. _Here we go_. She pulled out the huge stack of letters and I could see the moment she realized that her wallet was in there, too. She pulled it out and opened it. I assumed she was looking to make sure that everything was there, and when she checked on her cash, she stilled. She stared at the little thing of leather in her hands before snapping her eyes up to check the street. She looked one way, then the other, completely passing over where I was hiding. She glanced down at the money one last time before pushing her way into her house and I could even hear her door sound as she locked it.

I took that as my cue to go upstairs and slip into my room. From the angle of my bedroom window, I could see a light on in the back of Clarke’s house. I could only guess at what she was probably thinking about the amount of money in her wallet, I had experienced the same thing, though, the situation Octavia and I had been in was a little different. I grabbed a water from the mini-fridge in the corner of the room and set myself back up in front of the window.

The only light on in back of Clarke’s house stayed on for a little while longer and I came to the conclusion that it was probably her bedroom. After a few minutes it turned off and I took that as it was probably time to go to sleep. It was already past 1:00AM and I would have to report to Kane the next day.

I took off my shirt and my jeans before climbing into the bed. I still didn’t think that Kane recruiting Clarke was the best idea but, then again, I didn’t really know her. The good thing, though, was that she would begin working with Harper soon so then I wouldn’t be responsible for keeping an eye on her anymore. Not that I hadn’t turned out grateful for watching her this time since it lead to me being there for Octavia, but it’s not something that I would’ve wanted to do all the time.

I texted Octavia to check on her and when she didn’t reply I texted Kane. He answered almost immediately telling me he gave her some tea to help her sleep and aside from the fact that she was still a little shaken, she seemed okay. He then followed up with the fact that he wasn’t going to let her work that late again, even if it was technically the weekend, but that we would talk about it more in the morning.

Turning over, I pulled a pillow closer to me and closed my eyes. As I drifted off, and despite my best efforts, I saw shining gold hair and ocean blue eyes in my dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins :)
> 
> I'll be posting twice a week but the days aren't set yet!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Xx


	4. Coincidences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke figures out what to do about the money

Waking up the next morning, I immediately regretted not drinking more water before I fell asleep. I peeled my face from my pillow, trying to fight the incessant throbbing that was going on in my head. Forcing my eyes to focus on the clock that was sitting on my nightstand, I saw that it was nearly noon. _So much for studying_. I rolled onto my back and stared up at my ceiling. _What do I remember_... I remembered going to the club with Wells, dancing with Lexa, getting Wells to dance with another girl, Sasha, then there was Cage Wallace, and… My thoughts trailed off as I looked over at my wallet.

My heart started pounding in my chest, and the anxiety that came along with remembering that someone had put five-hundred dollars in my wallet then returned it didn’t do anything for my hangover. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. _Fuck this_. I pushed my covers off and tried standing up. I was too hungover to deal with mysterious money and a mysterious note. I pushed out of my bedroom door and walked into the kitchen, hating the fact that I hadn’t turned my AC on before I went to sleep, but I had been kind of preoccupied.

I grabbed a glass and filled it with tap water then rummaged through my cabinet for some Tylenol. I looked in the fridge and took out my leftovers and threw them in the microwave. No matter how much I told myself that what I thought had happened the night before was just a product of the alcohol, I knew I was just being ridiculous. I finished half the glass and picked at my food a little before turning on the AC in my living room and deciding to see if the paper had already come. Not that anyone really still read the newspaper, but I liked looking at the comics.

Grabbing my cardigan off the back of an old recliner in my living room, I threw it on before walking out onto my porch. _Bad idea_. The light outside was nearly blinding and my head started to throb even more than it already was. I spotted the newspaper in my driveway so I tip-toed down the stairs and past my car, picking it up. I looked around my neighborhood, trying to see if I could find anything that would tell me what happened the night before or who could’ve possibly left me that much money. It was stupid, I know, I wasn’t going to find anything that much later. The neighborhood seemed the same, except there were some rowdy baseball fans across the street with their jerseys on and their faces half painted. They ended up spotting me too because they started whistling and I groaned.

Flipping them off, I turned and headed back towards my house. I was intending on ignoring them when they sounded like they were getting closer. When I turned around, I saw that they had crossed the street. I was on my porch then, my hand shoved in my cardigan pocket, wrapped around my car keys.

“Hey, pretty lady.”

“You have a nice car.” The two guys inched closer towards my driveway, but there wasn’t much room between my driveway and my porch. I scanned up and down the street, looking for _someone_ else but there was no one. I looked across the road the air B&B they had left and saw a guy sitting near his window talking on the phone, but he wasn’t looking my direction. _I could scream_ , _but he may not hear me._

“Thanks, now leave before I decide to call the cops.” I jerked my head down the road and in the direction of campus, but they only grinned more.

“Hey, now, we’re just trying to be nice.”

“You look like you could use some company.” One of the guys neared my car and I tightened my grip on my keys. _Figures, they’re already drunk_. 

“Back the fuck out of my driveway.”

“Is that any way to talk to someone who’s just trying to be friendly?” The other guy got closer to the first and I hit the panic button on my car keys. The guys jumped and backed towards the pavement, before darting across the road and running towards campus. I silenced my car then looked around the neighborhood again. The guy that I had seen on the phone was still in the window but he wasn’t on the phone now, he was looking at me. I let out a sigh before turning and pushing my way into my house, making sure to double lock the door behind me.

I decided to push looking in my wallet off again until after I bathed and threw my sheets in the washer. I got a text from Wells asking how I was feeling and I debated on whether or not I should tell him about the money, but decided not to since he probably would’ve brought it up to his dad and no one needs lawyer Jaha asking them questions. I told him that I had a hangover from hell but that someone returned my wallet with my money still in it. 

After ending the conversation with him, I threw on some jean shorts and a white v-neck and I decided it was finally time to face the stack of money in my wallet. I opened it and pulled the bills out of it. _Yep, five-hundred-forty dollars_. I counted it a second time, then a third...finally, after the fourth time counting and the second time reading the note, I decided that if this really was supposed to be a gift then, well, I should take it. I shoved my wallet into my purse, pulled on my boots, then grabbed my jacket and headed towards my car. I had enough money in my bank account to pay my bills but I needed groceries. 

I shut my door and locked it before making my way down my steps and settling into my driver seat. It was still early enough to where my legs didn’t immediately stick to my leather seat, and my car had been in some shade too, but that didn’t mean that my car wasn’t stifling hot on the inside. I rolled my windows down then stepped out of my car, waiting for the heat to disappear before I got in it again.

While I was leaning against it checking my phone, someone came out of the air B&B across the street. I glanced over at them and noticed that it was the guy I had seen in the window. He was dressed in a blue crewneck with black jeans and a helmet under his arm. I didn’t mean to stare but there was just something about him that made me not want to look away. He had black, curly hair and golden skin, and when he looked at me I could feel all the air leave my body. That man was attractive. 

“Nice car!” He smirked from across the street as he continued towards a motorcycle I could only assume was his. 

“Thanks. Nice bike!”

“Thanks.” He grinned before turning back to his motorcycle and I went back to my phone. I was just about to get in my car when I heard him call from behind me. “Hey!” I turned and watched as he got closer to the street. “Earlier, with those guys, are you okay?” 

I cocked my head to the side, studying the guy across from me. _Why would a stranger care if I’m okay? Maybe he’s just being nice._  “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Cool.” The guy nodded then turned around, walking towards his bike. I watched as he put on his helmet and settled onto his bike before turning towards the road. He smirked when he saw me still looking. “Nice meeting you.” His bike roared to life and then he was gone. _Strange_. 

I slid back into my car and pulled out of my driveway. Deciding to not put the cash into my checking account, I headed for the grocery store. With that amount of money I would have enough to buy all the groceries I needed and some house supplies that I was dangerously low on.

The drive to Walmart was actually peaceful. I kept my windows down and let the wind blow through my hair and, despite my headache, I found myself singing to the classic rock station on the radio. I still felt shitty because of the hangover, but I was feeling better because now I actually had a way of surviving until my next paycheck. 

As I made my way up and down the isles of the store, I could hear a voice in the back of my head reminding me that it would be better to buy stuff to make actual meals with rather than a bunch of little snacks, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t get a pack of cookies. I mentally kept a rough estimate of how much everything was as I put it in the buggy, so when I got to the cash register and the total came out to two-hundred-seventh-three dollars I silently applauded myself. _I can come back in a week or two and buy more_. 

After loading the groceries into my car I was returning the buggy to the cart drop off when I noticed a motorcycle parked near it. I thought back to the guy I had talked to earlier and found myself wondering if that was his bike, but I knew that it most likely wasn’t. He had gone in the opposite direction. _Just a coincidence_. I shook my head then practically skipped back to my car, eager to get home and cook something. 

Once I got home I unlocked my front door then started grabbing the bags out of my car. I was on my second load when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

“Hey, Clarke!” I turned and saw Harper jogging up the sidewalk towards me. 

“Hey, Harper.” I gave the other girl a smile and she stopped at my driveway. She was dressed for running but didn’t seem to be out of breath which was something I admired. “What brings you this way?”

“Oh, I came for a run around the lakes then cut back through campus. You need any help?” She motioned towards the bags in my hands. I figured it would’ve been rude to refuse so I shrugged. 

“Yeah, sure. Can you get some bags out of my car, please?”

“You got it.” She jogged up my driveway and leaned into the car, pulling out two more bags. “Paper, huh?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d try and help the planet somehow.” 

“My kind of girl.” Harper smiled then followed me up the stairs.

“It’s kind of rinky dink but, you know, college life.” Was my warning before we stepped into my house. It’s not that the inside itself looked terrible, it’s just that the furniture was. 

“I like it, it’s a lot better than some of the other apartments I’ve been in.” Harper and I placed the bags on the kitchen counter before heading back to the car. “I’ve seen one guy’s place and he had lawn chairs as his furniture. At least you have a couch.” 

“Yeah, barely.” The truth was, I got that couch from someone’s garage sale and I’m pretty sure it had bugs in it. Which is why I never sat there and neither did Wells. “I’m ready to start at Arkadian so I can get a better paycheck and hopefully better furniture.”

“I get that, but it might take a few paychecks. It’s better money, but not by much.” 

“Anything is better than what I’m getting paid now.”

“True.”

Harper and I made one last trip before all of the bags were in my house. She even helped me put them away, and I offered her a bottle of water as she told me about what to expect on Monday.

”So, Dante is usually never seen, and neither is Cage, but Jaha Senior is always walking around and talking to everyone.”

“Yeah, that’s the politician in him.” I smiled at the thought.

“When Cage does come down, it’s usually for press or to greet a major client but he doesn't stick around long. I don’t think he likes the lower level people too much, but he does have a thing going on with his secretary Lorelei.”

“Really?” _That_ was unexpected. From the way he had been crowding me on the roof of the bar I wouldn’t have ever guessed.

”As far as I’ve heard, they’re not like, exclusive, which is why he’s been pictured with a bunch of other girls, but every time a picture comes out a huge bouquet of flowers is delivered to her desk. I feel sorry for her.”

“Yeah, that seems terrible.” I stared down at the paper bags I had been folding back up. “Do you, I don’t know, does Cage make you uncomfortable?”

”A little, but I haven’t really talked to him. Why? Have you talked to him?”

“Uh, no, I was just wondering. I’ve just heard some stuff about him around campus.” I figured that I hadn’t met Cage in the best circumstances, so I didn’t want to say something to Harper. _Yet_. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it, you’ll hardly ever see him.” Harper gave me a reassuring smile then turned to look down the hall. “I’m going to need to get going but could I possibly use your bathroom? It’s a long way home.”

“Yeah, sure, down the hall and to the right.”

“Thanks.”

I wanted to believe Harper about barely seeing Cage, but I already told him that I was going to start working there and I don’t think that’s something he would forget. While Harper used the bathroom I thought back to how the other women dressed at Arkadian Inc. and realized I probably didn’t have anything that would be suitable enough. I had the skirt and the blouse from my interview, but I couldn’t exactly wear that every day. 

Curious, I walked into my bedroom and threw open my closet door. On one side I had my going out clothes, which was only about a handful of dresses, my normal clothes, which hadn’t been updated in about four years, and then there was my ‘professional’ clothes on the other side. Some of the shirts were too small in the chest area, birth control saw to that, and some of the skirts were a little too short for comfort. As for the pants, well, the freshman fifteen didn’t discriminate. I heard the bathroom door open and I took my ‘professional’ clothes out of the closet and threw them on my bed. 

“Hey, Harper?”

“Yeah? What’s up?” Harper bound towards my bedroom, her ponytail whipping behind her, then she settled near my door. I rested my hands on my hips and looked at her.

“I don’t think I have anything to work in.”

“Nonsense, these look great.” She moves further into my room, gesturing at the skirts and shirts I had laid out. “What’s wrong with them?”

“Too small,” I groaned then picked up the nearest shirt and held it up to my chest. “I’d pop the buttons off.” 

“I _wish_ I had your problem.” Harper smiled then turned back to the clothes on the bed. “These look like they’ve barely been worn, if I were you I’d probably take them to a tailor and see if they can be let out or something. It’d be cheaper than going and buying a whole new outfit and if you went to the thrift store you might have to take that to a tailor anyways.” She picked up the closest skirt. “ _Neiman Marcus_? You bought these from that expensive store from Fifty Shades?” Harper’s eyebrows shot up towards her hairline as she looked at me. 

“My mom bought them my senior year of high school so I could go to my college interviews.” I remembered that argument like it was yesterday. I was happy with just getting an outfit from JC Penney’s or Macy’s but my mom was dead set on having the best.

”Then I would _definitely_ just see about getting these altered.” Harper put the skirt back down then walked towards my closet. “I love your clothes!”

“Really?” I scrunched up my nose and joined the other girl at my closet. “I’ve been wearing the same stuff since my junior year of high school,” I laughed. 

“You had more fashion sense than I did at that time.” Harper grinned then picked out my burgundy club dress. “This is gorgeous, could I borrow this sometime?”

“Yeah, of course, as long as you let me raid your closet, too.” I teased and Harper grinned even wider.

”If you can fit in anything that’s in my closet then go for it, I don’t have half the rack you do.” 

She and I talked about clothes for about half an hour before she got a text and said that she had to get home and help her dad out with something. As I walked her out she said that she knew of a tailoring place that was open on Sunday’s and gave me their address. Then we exchanged our phone numbers because, hey, we liked each other’s company, and we were about to start working together. 

Once she was gone, I got to work trying to figure out what I was going to do for dinner. _I haven’t had spaghetti in a while_. I pulled the ground meat out of my freezer and set it out on the counter then texted Wells.

**Wells**

**Clarke:** Guess who got groceries today 

 **Wells:** My dad

 **Clarke:** _ha-ha_ , no. I did! So, dinner? :)

 **Wells:** Like, tonight?

 **Clarke:** No, next week

 **Wells:** Next week? No can do. I have a hot date :)

 **Clarke:**  U asked the girl from the club out? And ur going on a date? Like a _real_ date? 

 **Wells:** I always go on real dates!

 **Clarke:** Okay, I love u, but taking a girl to one of ur dad’s stuffy lawyer parties doesn’t count as a date, Jaha

 **Wells:** Whatever, but no, I’m taking her to that new restaurant, Eligius 

 **Clarke:** Ooh, Wells Jaha is going out in style

 **Wells:** Yeah, yeah, it’s just a restaurant

 **Clarke:**  Ur girl is going to like it :) 

 **Wells:** She’s not my girl

 **Clarke:**  Ur going out on a date to a very nice restaurant, she will be soon

 **Wells:** That’s the plan. What time should I come over?

 **Clarke:** 6-ish?

 **Wells:** You got it, I’ll bring the liquor 

 **Clarke:**  U don’t even know what I’m making 

 **Wells:** Spaghetti

 **Clarke:**  What the fuck...

 **Wells:** ;)

Once the dinner plans with Wells was set, I realized I still had a few hours before I would even have to worry about getting the food started, so I decided to head back to my room and grab some of my textbooks.  _Might as well get to studying while I wait_. 

 

* * *

 

As soon as I got home, I made my way to Octavia before even thinking about my meeting with Kane. Monty had texted me  that since Harper was on Clarke duty, he and Jasper had taken to keeping her company. I placed my helmet by the front door then went straight towards the game room, cutting through the kitchen where Murphy was just making his breakfast. 

The door to the game room was slightly cracked and I could hear Octavia laughing from the other side of it. I smiled then pushed the door open wider. In the middle of the floor, completely engulfing the couch, was a huge blanket fort that was having a hard time staying up. I shook my head then crawled into it.

“O, I thought you knew how to make these by now.”

“I do! They just won’t listen to me!” I could barely make out Octavia’s face since the blanket had fallen even more and was resting on her head.

“Hey!”

“We listen!”

”Alright, you two, out,” I looked at Jasper and Monty then pointed towards the collapsing door. “Let the pros handle this.” The two of them grinned then slid out the side. 

Within five minutes Octavia and I had a pretty decent fort and we had even been able to include the TV in it without it being at risk of toppling over. Monty And Jasper got in but I held Octavia back.

“How are you doing today?”

“Better. Kane says he’s thinking about me not working nights at all though.” She pouted then crossed her arms.

“That May be the best thing, O.”

“Come on, Bell, that’s when I make the best tips! I can handle myself!”

”I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself, Octavia, what I’m saying is that you can’t draw attention to yourself and working the night shift without one of us there is just asking for trouble.”

”What if my shift ends at midnight and Kane always has you, or Miller, or someone working the bar up there next to me? Would that work?” She tilted her head to the side and arched an eyebrow at me. _She’s not a little girl anymore_. 

“Fine,” I huffed and threw my hands up. “I’ll talk to Kane about it—“

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Best big brother ever!” She squealed and threw her arms around me.

“But! If it doesn’t work out and I hear from one of the guys that something else happened, I’ll make sure you don’t work nights.” 

“Fine,” she pulled back and rolled her eyes, “but you’re still the best brother.” 

“Glad you think so.” I smirked then started towards the door. “Have fun in your fort, and if I have a chance we’ll go get gelato or something.”

“’Kay.” Octavia smiled then darted under the blankets.

Leaving the game room, I made my way towards Kane’s study on the second floor. His door was already open and he had his glasses on, bent over a stack of papers on his desk. I stopped at the doorway and cleared my throat, getting his attention.

“Come in.” He gestured towards the empty chair across from him then looked at me from over the rim of his glasses. “How is she?”

”She’s fine, her and the twins are in a fort right now in the game room.” I ran my fingers through my hair. As much as I wanted Octavia to still make money, I didn’t like the idea of her staying at the club until even midnight. 

“What’s her reasoning for me continuing to let her work?”

I smirked. “She says that she’ll work until midnight and that you could see about positioning one of us up there with her, as an extra precaution.” 

Kane’s eyebrows arched. “And you would be okay with that?”

“Honestly? No,” I sighed. “But I have to realize she’s technically an adult now and not ten years old anymore.” I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. 

“She’s always going to need you, Bellamy, even if it’s not in the same way it used to be.” 

“I know.” I looked at the man across from me. The closest person I ever had to a father figure, but I had become a father when I was six. “I think it’s worth a shot.”

”Alright, if you’re on board then I’ll make the arrangements.” He made a reminder on his stack of yellow sticky notes before leaning back in his seat and looking at me. “So, tell me what happened with Clarke.”

I quickly ran through that nothing happened once she got back, but that she had found the money and was suspicious, though she just went inside afterwards. I told him about the guys that tried cornering her this morning too, and he smiled when I told him about her use of the panic button.

“She looked happy this morning, she was leaving when I was headed here.” 

“Did she notice you?”

“Uh, yeah.” I stumbled over my words and Kane narrowed his eyes at me.

“You talked to her, didn’t you?” 

“I told her nice car and she said I had a nice bike,” I shrugged. 

“And?”

 _Busted_. “And I asked her if she was okay after what happened with those douchebags.”

Kane sighed and seemed to consider my words. He couldn’t really fault me for wanting to check on her, I was supposed to watch after her. Even if I wasn’t supposed to interact. “She didn’t see you last night?”

”No, sir.”

”Alright, well as long as she didn’t see you then, I guess it’s not a problem.” He sat up straighter and began fiddling with the papers in front of him. “As you know, I’ve sent Harper to check out her house, and I’ll send Collins to watch her tonight.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I had been leaning back in the chair with the front two legs off the floor but they snapped back down. 

Kane looked at me. “Do you have a reason as to why it isn’t?”

“He’s not very...subtle.”

“I could say the same about a few of you,” Kane gave me a look I knew he was remembering some of my past recruiting mistakes. “He’ll be told not to interact, and I’ll send Murphy with him if that makes you feel better.”

“Right. Better,” I huffed. 

“Now that that’s settled, help me answer some of these messages then you can take my car and bring Octavia out. She’s been inside all day.” Kane handed me half the stack of papers and a pen. 

I had nearly worked through the stack of papers Kane had given me when Harper came knocking on the door. Thank god because my hand was starting to cramp. Kane and I both looked up and she smiled, taking the empty seat next to me. She was dressed in her running clothes, and, knowing her, she had probably gone for an actual run.

“So, what’s the state of it?” Kane asked while pulling a bottle of water out of his mini-fridge and handing it over to her.

“It needs help.” Harper took the bottle and downed about half of it. “There’s a table that’s supposed to be a dining table but two people max can fit at it, and the paint is peeling, her couch should be in the dumpster, and there’s a recliner that I believe doesn’t actually work judging by the fact that the foot rest is crooked.”

Kane nodded as he jotted down notes. “What of her kitchen?”

“That’s actually pretty standard, and she used some of the money to buy groceries today. When I was helping her put them up I noticed that she only had orange juice and some left overs in her fridge, so it’s a good thing you found her wallet.”

“Bathroom?”

“Nothing special, a rug by the tub, plain white shower curtain, and minimal bath products.”

“Did you get a chance to look in her bedroom?”

“That was actually pretty nice.” Harper smiled then leaned back in the chair. “I loved her bedroom set, matching black bed frame, dresser, and nightstands. But she did say that she hasn’t updated her wardrobe in like four years when she asked what I thought of her work clothes.”

“Oh, yes, Arkadian Inc. has a very certain dress code. What of her work clothes?”

“Super nice, like, Neiman Marcus nice to be specific, but she said that her mom bought them her senior year of high school for her college interviews but they don’t fit her anymore, so I gave her the address to a tailor.”

“Alright, very good work, Harper.”

“Oh, and I have her phone number now, too.”

“You do?” I had been looking at a spot on Kane’s desk but I turned my attention towards Harper.

“Well, yeah, we are going to start working together, and she’s pretty cool. She uses paper bags when shopping, too.”

I smirked. “Green is good.”

“Yep, green is good.” Harper grinned then Kane cleared his throat.

“Okay, so, Harper, I would like for you to try and find out what kind of girl Clarke is, get an idea of what she likes, and then send me ideas for new furniture for her.”

“You got it, pops.” Harper grinned then stood and disappeared down the hallway.

“I think that’s enough answering things now,” Kane yawned and stretched out. “Feel free to grab my keys and take Octavia out, something on me.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a few bills. I gave him my thanks then headed towards the door, but there was something in the back of my mind that I couldn’t seem to get rid of. I turned and looked at him.

“What is it about this girl that has you so interested in her?”

Kane smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled. “I could ask you the same thing.”

I scoffed and shook my head. “See you later, Kane.” I waved bye and he held up his hand in parting.

Bounding down the stairs, I went into the game room again and knelt by the fort entrance. Harper had found her way to it too and was laying against Monty.

“Hey, O, want to go for a drive?”

“Thank god, I didn’t have long until those two started making out.” Octavia grumbled before crawling out from under the blankets.

We made our way out of the house and I slid into the driver’s side of Kane’s impala while Octavia got in the passenger seat. Kane had a thing for classic cars and so did Clarke, apparently. I pulled out of the driveway and let Octavia pick where we went. She picked an Italian ice cream shop inside one of the nicer shopping centers and we got a couple of seats outside to eat. 

Call it paranoia or just me being overprotective, but after what happened with Octavia the night before I found myself looking over my shoulder more, should Cage show up. Octavia noticed and just rolled her eyes, but I saw her doing the same, and even though I was caught up in checking for one person, anytime I saw a flash of blonde out of the corner of my eye I turned to see if it was Clarke. It never was, but somehow I found that there’s more blonde haired girls than I ever realized. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Comments? I love hearing from y’all!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Xx


	5. I’m Flattered (I think)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets a gift

Monday, I had the morning shift at the coffee shop and that was just about the most anxiety ridden I had ever been since I was nervous about going to work at Arkadian Inc. that evening. I had received an email Saturday evening when Wells came over telling me that since I was just going to be trained on Monday then I didn’t have to come in for a full shift, just three hours Monday afternoon.

I had already messed up two drinks and was in the process of making a third when the brunch crowd came in.  _It has to be today when we’re understaffed_. I finished the third drink and handed it off to the customer then looked towards the back room to see if I could see my coworker, Maya.  _Nope, nowhere to be seen_. I took a deep breath then turned back to the horde of customers. 

“I can help who’s next.”

“I think that would be me.” A guy came up and he was kind of cute. Not in the same way that guy on the motorcycle had been, but more puppy-like. I smiled.

“Hi, what can I get you?” 

“Latte, please, Clarke.” He smiled when he said my name and, surprisingly, that made my day a little better. 

“Alright, your total is going to be $3.63, can I get a name for the order?”

“Flynn Rider,” He grinned.

“Flynn Rider? Like from Rapunzel?” 

“Yeah, exactly,” He kept grinning then winked, placing a $5 on the bill before starting to walk away. “Thanks, Princess.”

I had no response to that. Nothing at all. I could feel my cheeks heat up, but I had more customers to take care of so I couldn’t exactly dwell on it. I set his order to the side as Maya came out of the back carrying a tray of scones.

“Sorry about that. What’s the first order?” She dusted her hands off on her apron then picked up  _Flynn Rider’s_  order. She was the one to call him for it when it was done, but I couldn’t look up in time to see him grab it. 

For the rest of my shift, I found myself glancing over at the mysterious guy and, more often than naught, he would already be looking at me. If it were any other person I probably would’ve found that weird, but in his case he just looked too innocent for it to be anything more than just flirting.  _If that’s what you call whatever this is_. 

“He’s cute.” Maya whispered near my ear and I jumped. 

“What?”

“The guy that won’t stop staring at you.” She didn’t look but gestured with her elbow towards the corner where the guy was sitting. “Are you going to talk to him?”

“He’s just some guy who came in to get coffee, Maya, if you were to ask every hot guy that comes in here for his number, your phone would explode.”

“Just saying.” Maya smirked and nudged me with her shoulder. “Something to consider.” I rolled my eyes and nudged her back. 

My shift came and went, with huge groups of people coming in and then hardly any at all. Before long, I was waving bye to Maya and heading towards my car that I had parked in the street. When I turned my car on, I sat there for a second then looked down at my clothes. Plain blue jeans and black shirt that just said “Highland Coffees”. I sighed then looked at myself in the mirror. I had decided to do my makeup before I left my house that morning but I would have to do my hair in the parking lot. _Well, here goes nothing_. I pulled out of my parking spot and headed for the tailor.

I had just enough time to grab my clothes from the tailor that I had dropped off the day before and get to Arkadian Inc. The upside about the tailor was that she was able to get them done within a day, the bad thing was that it cost more to do a rush job. Thankfully, the tailor let me change in one of the dressing rooms and I gave her my last little bit of cash as a tip. Probably not as much as she deserved, but it was all I had after paying for my clothes.  _At least now I have a weeks’ worth of_ fitting _work clothes._

I pulled into the parking lot on the side of Arkadian Inc. and put my car in park before digging around in my purse for my bobby pins and a brush. The women I had seen the other day wore their hair pulled back in tight buns, and when I asked Harper about it, she sent me a video of how she does her hair. _How can someone do that themselves?_ In the end I got fed up with trying the twisting motion that Harper is able to do and just decided to put my hair in a ponytail and braid it before wrapping it around and securing it. _That’s as good as it’s going to get._

Opening my car door, I placed my heels onto the ground then slipped my feet into them. At the coffee shop, there wasn’t really a dress code aside from wearing the t-shirt, and I hated the idea of having to wear heels every time I worked here, but Harper had told me that there’s a lot of sitting involved so I could just slip my shoes off. Taking one last look in my rearview mirror I took a deep breath then got out of my car.

Once I was inside, I could see Wells and his father waiting near the front desk and the nervousness I had been feeling kind of dissipated. They both smiled as I approached them Jaha leaned forward to give me a hug.

“Clarke, you look beautiful, I’m glad you decided to work here.”

“Thank you for giving me a chance,” I smiled back. There had been a question of favoritism when Wells first suggested that I work here, which is why Dante had been the one to interview me alone and not with Jaha after Wells had done some convincing.

“I have no doubt that you won’t exceed our expectations.” Jaha smiled between me and Wells before looking at his watch. “I wanted to be here to welcome you, but I’m afraid I have lunch with a client. If you need anything, you have my number, now if you’ll excuse me.” Jaha gave me one last hug before heading towards the doors then I looked at Wells.

“So, you ready to start?”

“As much as I can be,” I shrugged and Wells chuckled.

“Then in that case, I’ll leave you with Harper.” Wells turned and motioned towards Harper who looked up and smiled.

“Ready to train?”

“Of course.”

Harper went through what to say when a customer comes up to the counter and when they call, she showed me how to access the appointments and what to do when there’s a cancellation or someone needing a last-minute consultation. She then went on to show me how to transfer the calls to whichever office they requested and how to fill out a memo pad. All in all, it didn’t seem like that difficult of a job, and Harper eased me into everything by letting me answer some of the calls and walking me through the appointment database.

“So, what do you think? Pretty good for the pay, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll say,” I said, leaning against the back of the chair. It was nice to find that the chairs were comfortable and they promoted sitting straighter which is something I needed to work on. “Still don’t know if that makes up for this ridiculous dress code.” I played with the hem of my skirt. “I don’t know if I’ll ever let that go,” I chuckled.

“I take it getting all the clothes tailored added up?” Harper raised an eyebrow as she looked at my clothes and I nodded.

“Way more than what I expected, but you were right about it costing less than trying to get whole new outfits.”

“Yeah, this is a ‘spend money to make money’ situation.” Harper shrugged. “I went through the same thing.” The phone in front of her rang and she moved to answer it. I turned back to my computer and started clicking around to look at things when a shadow fell over my part of the desk. I turned my attention towards the person, putting on my best smile and mentally going over what to say when I realized it was Cage Wallace.

“Oh, nice to see you again, Cage.” I gave him a polite smile.

“It’s nice to see you again too, Clarke,” he smiled and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “I take it you’re settling in nicely?”

“Yes I am, thank you,” I nodded then looked over at Harper who seemed to be trying not to stare, “I’ve had a good teacher.”

“Well, it’s wonderful to hear that.” He gave Harper a small smile before turning back to me. “Don’t let me keep you, have a good rest of your first day.” He bowed slightly then he was gone.

I slumped back in my chair and shivered. _What is it about him?_ I resisted the urge to rub my face so I didn’t mess up my makeup and I could see Harper staring at me. “Yes?”

“You _know_ Cage Wallace?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“I don’t _know_ him, but I ran into him at The Ark when Wells took me out Friday night and we started talking. I think he was drunk, but then again I kind of was too.” Thinking back on that night, I could see that he had a few too many. His speech wasn’t as clean as I had been a minute ago and his eyes were a little glazed over. I shivered.

“So that’s why you asked me if he made me uncomfortable.” Everything seemed to click in her mind.

“Yeah, and sorry I lied when you asked if I had talked to him, I just didn’t want to say anything since I hadn’t met him sober.”

“But, let me guess, your opinion still hasn’t changed now that you’re sober?”

“Nope,” I sighed. _Great._

“Well, I wouldn’t let it get to you, you probably won’t see him again for a while.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Harper and I worked side by side for another hour before Harper decided we should take a break so she could show me around the building. I had never been in the building before last Friday, I only ever picked Wells up from it and never had a reason to go in. The building was already huge when looking at it from the outside, the inside seemed even bigger. She led me down one hall, towards the center of the building where there was a café and a lounge area.

“The café is actually kind of expensive so I usually bring my lunch and eat out in the courtyard or I walk to McDonald’s that’s right down the block,” Harper explains as we walk through the lounge area and towards the back door. We walk into the courtyard and it instantly became my favorite place of the entire building.

The courtyard was enclosed by a tall brick wall with vines growing all up and down it and there were trees in the two furthest corners with honeysuckle growing on it too. Then there were benches and tables spread across the cobblestone ground with rose bushes lining the bottom of the walls and places to sit next to them. _Yep. Love it._ The high walls seemed to block out all the noise that came from being in the city and it was really peaceful. I walked over to one of the rose bushes and reached out to feel the petals.

“Beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s wonderful.”

“I’m hoping to one day have the entire city look like this.” Harper’s voice sounded wistful and I turned to look at her; she was staring at the vines and the honeysuckle.

“Like have more plants around?”

“That’s part of it,” she turned and smiled at me. “I want to raise awareness of what’s being done to the planet and the steps we can take to help it. The Green Initiative is what we’re calling it.”

“We?”

“Oh, my boyfriend and I and some of our friends,” Harper shrugged then turned back towards the building. “We should get back inside, our fifteen minutes is almost up.”

I followed Harper back into the building and towards our desks, wishing I could’ve spent a little more time in the courtyard. I’m not sitting at the desk long when a delivery guy came up holding a bouquet of flowers, not unlike the ones that I had seen in the courtyard. _Must be Cage apologizing to Lorelei_.

“Hi, can I help you?” I smiled at the delivery guy as he reached the desk.

“Yeah I have a delivery for…” He trailed off, looking towards his pad for the name.

“Lorelei Tsing?”

“Um, no, Clarke Griffin.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Oh, that’s me.”

“Perfect, if you could just sign this please.” He handed me the pad and I signed my name then we traded. “Have a nice day.”

“Thank you, you too.” The guy tipped his hat before turning and walking back the way he came.

“First day of work flowers?” Harper asked and I shrugged.

“No idea, but it’s probably from Wells or his dad.” I looked around for the card then finally found it wedged behind the flowers and the wrapping paper. I plucked it from its resting place and opened it.

_Congratulations on your first day  
I look forward to working together_

_Cage Wallace_

My heart stopped beating. I stared at the name at the bottom of the card then looked over at Harper who seemed to be waiting for me to tell her who the flowers were from. Silently, I handed her the card then stared at the flowers. _No. Not me._

“Clarke…” Harper spoke my name softly and I looked over at her. “Clarke, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied. “It’s a nice gesture.” I swallowed then set the flowers down on the desk next to my computer. A few of the other receptionists were looking at me but I ignored them. _As long as they don’t know who they’re from, it’s fine_.

Harper handed me the card and I held it under the desk as I ripped it in half, then in half again, before throwing the shreds of paper into my purse. I was being ridiculous. Cage Wallace had done nothing to me and he was being nice by sending me flowers and I ripped up his note. There was no reason for me to feel weirded out by him, so far he had been a perfect gentleman, and with the night at the club we had both been drinking. _There’s nothing to be worried about, he’s just being nice._

For the rest of my shift Harper and I talked about what we were hoping to do once summer started and she talked about how she was excited to get people together to do a clean up around the city. I told her that if she wanted then I would join in too. We clocked out at the same time and walked to the parking lot together. I expected to see Cage leaving the building too, but he was nowhere to be seen, though I didn’t expect Harper to have the car that she did. It was a fairly new black Camaro with red racing stripes. 

“Beautiful car.”

“Thanks, I like yours too.” Harper nodded towards my Mach I.

“Maybe we’ll race at some point,” I teased and Harper smirked.

“Bring it on, Griffin.” We said our goodbyes then got in our cars, leaving the parking lot in opposite directions.

The drive home gave me time to think about everything that had happened from time I woke up until I got back in my house. First the boy at the coffee shop, then my money being used up at the tailor, and then Cage Wallace. _Boys_. When I stepped inside I placed the bouquet of flowers on my dining table, telling myself I’ll deal with them later before I went to my bedroom. I couldn’t get out of my work clothes and into my pajamas fast enough, but soon I was sprawled across my bed with my history book in front of me and my AC blowing on my bare legs. Despite the eventful day, I still had exams to study for that would come up at the end of the week. 

After about an hour of studying I decided to heat up some of the spaghetti leftovers then looked at the rest of the food in my fridge. I had gotten it all because a stranger decided to be nice and _pay it forward_ , as the trend was. It was helpful while it lasted, and I got my clothes fixed out of it too, but now I was back to where I was just a few days before. _Perfect_. 

 

* * *

 

I spent most of the day studying for my upcoming exams and had just decided to join Murphy in a game of Black Ops when Harper came through the door.

“Kane!” Her voice echoed throughout the house and it made me and Murphy jump.

“Damn, McIntyre, what’s the problem?” Murphy groaned.

“I need to talk to Kane.”

“Yeah, I think we got that,” Murphy grumbled before turning back towards the game. I paused it.

“What’s wrong, Harper?”

“Today was Clarke’s first day, right?” I nodded, already not liking where this was heading. “Well, apparently she had met Cage Friday night and told him that she was going to start working there—“

“Right, I was following her that night.”

“Well, he remembered that and came to tell her hi,—“

“That doesn’t warrant you busting in here and screaming,” Murphy sighed and crossed his arms, causing Harper to fix him with a stare that Raven would’ve been proud of.

“If the two of you would just _listen_ and _let me finish_ for a second then you would understand,” she huffed.

“We’re sorry,” I said, elbowing Murphy in the side, “continue.”

”He had flowers delivered for her with a note that said ‘Congratulations on your first day, I look forward to working together’.” 

“And?” Murphy looked up at her. “Doesn’t seem terrible.”

“You know what Cage is like, Murphy, Clarke doesn’t even know him and she turned white just reading the card. She knows he’s not a good guy and if we’re to keep an eye on her and keep her safe then how do we do that when he has her in his sights?” 

 _She has a point_. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “He moves fast, doesn’t he?” I grumbled and leaned back against the cushions. “Kane is having his biweekly dinner with Indra right now, we’ll just have to talk to him when he gets back.” 

Harper nodded and looked like she was about to head upstairs when she stopped. “Who’s watching her tonight?”

“Finn and Miller.”

Harper snorted. “At least we know there’s one reasonable guy watching her tonight,” was all she said before she turned and headed upstairs. Murphy whistled and I turned around and unpaused the game, but I couldn’t focus on it. 

“Kane is not going to like that.”

“No he’s not,” I agreed. Dante Wallace wasn’t a terrible person for the most part, he just did some really shady shit, but Cage was a completely different story. “But it could be useful to have someone close to him.”

“If we needed that then I’m sure we would’ve used Octavia.”

“What the fuck did you just say?”

“Look, I didn’t mean it like _that_ , Blake.” This time Murphy paused the game and turned to look at me. “All I’m saying is that is we don’t need to bring a new girl into this if we want to get someone in close to him.”

“I guess, but I don’t like the idea of using her as a ploy.”

“You literally just said it could be useful to have someone close to him.”

“Yeah, it could be useful but I don’t think we should actually do it,” I pointed out. “I just hope everything goes well tonight.” I stood and stretched. “I’m going to go to the training room.” I turned to head down to the basement when Murphy called after me.

“You wish you were the one to watch her tonight, don’t you?”

“What makes you think that?” I turned and raised my eyebrows, propping my hands on my hips.

“Just an observation,” Murphy smirked before turning back to the game. 

“Asshole,” I muttered.

“Bitch.”

I made my way to the basement and turned on the lights. It’s a big space and had once been Kane’s man cave, but since he started recruiting people he’d turned it into a workout room. There were weights in the corner with a couple of benches and a squat rack, then he added a boxing ring, and there was a sparring area too. The house was huge and the basement wasn’t any different. I stretched before picking up a jump rope. There was something about being in the basement that made it easier for me to think. 

After a decent warm up, I headed over to the punching bag and let myself get lost in the sound of my gloves hitting the canvas. I didn’t think about Cage, or Clarke, or even what happened with Octavia. I was in my own world with no distractions, which is why I hadn’t heard Miller come into the room and only realized he was there when he stood next to the bag. 

“What are you doing back here?” I stopped punching and tried to catch my breath. 

“Kane needs me to work tonight so he pulled me from Blonde Bombshell duty.” 

“He’s letting Finn watch her by himself?”

“Yeah, he seems fine with it.” Miller shrugged and moved to hold the bag. 

“That’s not a smart move on his part,” I panted before returning to the bag. “Finn needs someone there to watch him.” 

“There’s an open spot if you want to take it,” Miller pointed out and I quit hitting the bag and looked at him.

“Why does everyone assume I want to be on babysitting duty?”

“Because you do.”

I snorted. “Right, babysitting a girl who has a car that’s worth more than her college fees for two years and clothes from an expensive store but somehow doesn’t seem to have any money. Every guy’s perfect night,” I grumbled. “She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, a princess with rich parents, and now she’s trying to act like she’s one of us.” 

“I don’t think anyone would choose to live that life, Bellamy, it’s not something that’s glorified,” Miller argued and I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes.

“Well it might be to her.”

“You don’t even know her."

“I know enough,” I quit punching the bag and narrowed my eyes at Miller. “Are you saying you know more than I do?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Miller let go of the bag and crossed his arms. 

“And?”

“And, she did have a privileged life when she was younger, but that came crashing down when she was eighteen.”

I stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“Her mom was a surgeon and her dad was an engineer, nice house, powerful friends, then one day they both died in a freak car accident. No one knows what caused it and then she was left alone. All I’m saying is I wouldn’t judge her until you actually know who she is.”

“How do you know all of this?”

”It’s amazing what Monty can find on the internet if you give him five minutes,” Miller shrugged and I went through all of the information he had just told me. 

“Is Kane back from his dinner?”

“Yeah, he’s up in his study.” 

I turned and jogged out of the basement, leaving Miller behind. I cut through the living room where Murphy was still playing on the Xbox then made my way up the stairs. I walked into Kane’s study with no preamble, but he didn’t seem surprised to see me. 

“Yes?”

“I want to take Miller’s place with watching the Griffin girl.”

Kane leaned back in his seat, studying me. “And why should I let you do that? You’ve already talked to her so if she sees you again then it might be suspicious.”

“I have exams to study for,” I shrugged, “it wouldn’t be a stretch to say I was just in the area if she were to see me again.”

“But this has nothing to do with the fact that you’re interested in why I’m interested in her?” He raised his eyebrows at me and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I know Harper told you about the Cage Wallace situation,” I blurted out. My only chance at reasoning why I should be allowed to go. 

“She did.”

“I know you, Kane, and you want her protected. Finn has a history of getting sidetracked, you need someone there to actually keep an eye on her.”

“I could send Murphy, or Monty, or Jasper for that matter if that’s what I believe needed to be done. Why should I send you?” I knew what he was doing. _He’s going to make me say it_. 

I sighed and looked at him. “Because we both know I’m the best you’ve got when it comes to keeping her safe.”

Kane smirked. “That you are.” He sighed and straightened up, resting his elbows on his desk. “If you want to keep an eye on her, then be my guest. I’d much rather prefer having you there anyway.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and held them out. “But I can’t have you taking your motorcycle again.”

I crossed the room and took his keys. “I’ll update you when I get there. Where am I going?”

Kane had gotten another room at the air B&B but this one had two beds instead of one. When I walked into the room Finn was laying on the bed playing on his phone and didn’t look up when I entered. I threw my bag into the other bed then walked towards the window and saw that the light was on in Clarke’s bedroom, but Finn wasn’t watching it.

“You do realize that you’re supposed to be watching her, right?”

“And I suppose Kane sent you here to watch me?” Finn didn’t look up from his phone. 

“No, he sent me here to watch her, which is why you’re here, too.” I settled in on the windowsill and propped myself up with the dresser. “Part of that is actually _watching_ the house.”

“That light has been on for the past four hours, Bellamy, trust me, there’s not much to watch.” 

I shook my head then turned back to the window. If someone were to visit her, just seeing a car in her driveway wouldn’t be enough, we’d have to know who got out of that car. I grabbed a water then settled back into my place on the windowsill. I sat there for about forty minutes, just watching for something, anything, when the front door of her house opened. I straightened and pulled the curtains closed slightly, should she look up and see me. I watched as she looked around before making her way down her front steps and threw a bouquet of roses into the trash. Without another look around, she turned and headed back inside, shutting the door behind her. After that it didn’t take long for the light in the back of her house to go out. _So the Princess doesn’t like Cage’s flowers. Harper was right_.

I smirked then slid off the windowsill, making my way towards the bed and settling under the covers. _There’s an exam to proctor tomorrow_. I took out my phone and sent Octavia a quick text letting her know I wouldn’t be home until tomorrow then texted Kane and told him that I watched Clarke throw the flowers away. 

As I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep, I wasn’t plagued with images of blonde hair or blue eyes, but instead it was brown hair like Octavia’s and brown eyes similar to mine, and somehow that was much worse. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m loving writing this story! I hope you enjoy reading it :) I have another two chapters already written that I will be posting later this week, on Saturday, so I hope you stay tuned!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated Xx


	6. A concert to end the first week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets another gift, but Octavia and Harper decide she needs a girl's night

Since I started working at Arkadian Inc. during finals week, my schedule was kind of hectic between there and the coffee shop. I would wake up early and open the shop at 6:30AM then work there until noon, then make my way downtown to Ark Inc. to work until 5:30PM, then head home. Between the guy at the coffee shop who kept showing up and the attention I was getting from Cage Wallace at Ark Inc., I didn’t know what to do.

I still didn’t know the guys name from the coffee shop, he still insisted on Flynn Rider and he dropped the “Princess” nickname a couple more times. Cage on the other hand, asked if I had liked the flowers and I told him I did and that they had a place on my dining table. Though that was a little white lie considering I had thrown them away the day I got them. I didn’t want to get attached to a guy whose name I didn’t even know and I definitely didn’t want Cage to believe I was interested. I was just trying to be nice to my boss.

I was standing at the cash register with my history book open in front of me when the door to the coffee shop dinged with the arrival of a customer. I hurried and marked my place and stuck my pencil in my messy bun on top of my head. As I expected, the customer was _Flynn Rider_. He had shown up at the same time on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so of course it wasn’t any different on Friday.

“Hi, what can I get you?”

“The usual, please, Princess.” He smiled and I could feel myself blush. No one had ever given me a nickname and then this random guy was calling me Princess. _Who does that?_

“Alright, that’ll be $3.63, Flynn Rider.” I rang him up and marked a cup for the order.

“Finn.”

“Excuse me?” I looked up, my eyebrows knitting together.

“My name is Finn,” he smirked then laid down another $5 bill. “Keep the change.” He turned and walked towards his usual place in the corner by the window. _Finn._ _At least now we both know each other’s names._

After his order was made and he picked it up, causing me to blush again, then I went back to studying for my exam. Not that it was really worth it considering people came up to the register every five minutes, but I figured at least _some_ amount of studying would be better than absolutely none. I was just finishing up the last chapter when someone else came up to the register.

I had to duck out of work early because I had an exam to take before heading to my next job, though I wouldn’t be working at the coffee shop for much longer. I gathered my backpack and stuff from the back then made my way through the tables and scattered chairs. The outside sitting area of Highland Coffees was littered with wrought iron tables and chairs and there was a large arched trellis from which vines and flowers hung from. I made a mental note to bring Harper to see it since she liked the courtyard at work.

“Clarke!” I was just about to get in my car when someone called my name. I put my backpack in my passenger seat then straightened, turning around to see who was calling me. Flynn—Finn was jogging down the ramp from the coffee shop. _That’s surprising_.

“Hey, Fl—Finn.” I gave him a smile and he came to a halt in front of me.

“Hey, you headed out early?” He motioned towards my car.

“Uh, yeah, I have an exam in thirty minutes.”

“Oh, well good luck on it.”

“Thanks.” _This is getting awkward._ We stood there for a second not saying anything when I heard the clocktower chime the time. “I should get going, I’m going to need to find a parking spot. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.” I gave him another smile then started to get in my car. He walked towards the door and held it open for me as I got in.

“Drive safe, Princess,” he smirked before closing my door and walking back into the building. _I have no idea what to make of that._ I sat in my idling car for a few more seconds before shaking my head and pulling out of my parking spot.

I wish Finn wouldn’t have stopped me to talk because during my exam all I could think about was why he stopped me and what that could’ve meant. In the end, I finished my exam with twenty minutes left then headed home so I could change before heading to Arkadian.

Since the temperature had already increased drastically in the past week, I took to leaving my AC on in my living room along with my bedroom whenever I left the house. The walk from my driveway to the front door was near stifling in the humidity, but as soon as the cold air hit my skin I didn’t want to leave. _Too bad._ I threw my backpack onto my bed then slipped out of my jeans and my t-shirt then laid my other work clothes out on my bed. I was in the process of digging an undershirt out of my dresser when my phone went off with a text from Harper.

**Harper**

**Harper:** You have another package from you-know-who

 **Clarke:** Oh god, what is it?

 **Harper:** No idea, it’s wrapped up this time

 **Clarke:** That’s not suspicious -.-

 **Harper:** Please tell me you’re on your way here so you can open it

 **Clarke:** Almost, I’m getting ready now

Since Harper texted me I decided to speed up my getting ready process even though I wasn’t particularly excited to see what Cage had gotten me, but I knew that I would need to open it sooner or later. I rode to work with my windows down, which was a bad idea considering I had a horrible time brushing it afterwards, but it was nice to feel the wind on my face. When I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed an empty spot next to Harper’s car so I pulled into it before getting to work on my bun.

When I walked into the building, it seemed more crowded than usual and there were reporters lingering in the lobby. I made my way through the crowd of people and slipped behind the desk, noticing that Harper was talking to a beautiful brunette with green eyes. I sighed when I sat down in my chair, then eyed the box sitting next to my computer.

“She arrives,” Harper turned and smiled at me. “Please tell me you’re going to open it now.” She motioned towards the box and I scrunched up my nose.

“Do I have to?” The girl that Harper had been talking to laughed.

“Sorry,” the other girl apologized before holding out her hand, “I’m Octavia.”

“Clarke,” I shook her hand. “I just don’t like the guy who sent this,” I whispered and the two girls laughed.

“Well you’re going to have to open it soon because there he is,” Harper inclined her head towards the elevator where Cage Wallace stepped out with an older blonde lady.

“Is that Diana Sydney?” I asked and Harper nodded her head. Diana Sydney’s husband had been a multimillionaire and then one day he died without any prior condition or warning. Most people believed that Diana had killed him so she could get his money while other’s believed that it was someone who was after him. I watched as they greeted the crowd of reporters and photographers.

“Thank you all for being here today, it my honor to announce that we have caught the man responsible for Mr. Sydney’s murder, and we have finally given the family peace of mind. Though this will not bring Mr. Sydney back, I am glad that good has prevailed and the laws that govern us have brought another man to justice. Mrs. Sydney, thank you for choosing us to represent you in this case and letting us be the ones to get the answers you and your family deserved.” Cage smiled at Diana and she dabbed at the corners of her eyes before leaning in to give him a hug.

“She still did it.” Octavia grumbled, turning back to face me and Harper.

“Yep, no doubt.”

I stared at the girls next to me. I didn’t believe that Diana Sydney was innocent either but I wasn’t about to say that within hearing distance of the woman or my boss. “I guess I should open this quickly,” I mumbled before picking up the box next to me. It was heavier than I expected and I knew that it must’ve been a bottle of some kind. I unraveled the blue ribbon and took the lid off the box. Inside was a black bottle of red wine with a black label that had a golden deer on it with the words ‘Stags’ Leap’ on it. A dry laugh escaped from my lips.

“What’s funny?” Harper arched an eyebrow and looked between me and the bottle of wine.

“He’s given me a bottle of wine but I’m not even old enough to drink yet.” I chuckled again.

“What does the card say?”

“Um…” I looked over to where Cage and Diana Sydney were still talking to the reporters then grabbed the white card that was taped to the front of the box. “Oh my god,” I groaned.

_To celebrate your first week_

I turned the card around and showed the girls. Harper rolled her eyes and Octavia’s eyebrows shot towards her hairline.

“Someone wants to get in your pants.”

“Octavia!” Harper admonished but I waved her off.

“No, she’s right,” I sighed and closed the box. “Then there’s this guy at the coffee shop that stopped me when I was leaving work, I wish guys would just leave me _alone_.” I rubbed my temples and tried not to think about Finn and that weird conversation, but then I just thought about the motorcycle guy, Bellamy.

“What guy at the coffee shop?” Harper and Octavia exchanged a look I couldn’t quite decipher.

“His name’s Finn, he’s been coming in every day since Monday. Nothing’s really happened, except when I was leaving today he followed me out to my car and it was just a weird conversation.”

“Weird how?”

“He asked if I was leaving early and I told him I had exam, then we just stood there for a second before he told me to drive safe. I think he may have wanted to say more but didn’t. I don’t know, just a weird morning.”

“Yeah, seems like it,” Harper agreed.

“I’ll say.” Octavia nodded her head.

“Hey,” Harper placed her hand on my shoulder and I turned to look at her, “what do you say to a girl’s night? Octavia and I were going to go out but we want you to come too.”

“Yeah, totally, come hangout with us.” Octavia smiled and I looked between the two of them.

“Where are y’all going?”

“TonDC,” Octavia grinned, “we’re going to see A.L.I.E. play tonight to celebrate the end of finals.”

“I didn’t know they were in town! Yeah, I’d love to go.”

“Awesome!” Octavia clapped her hands together. “TonDC isn’t anything fancy so just wear something you feel comfortable in. I need to head out, but I’ll meet y’all there, yeah?”

“You got it, O, see you later.”

“Yeah, it was nice meeting you, Octavia.”

“It was nice meeting you too, Clarke.” With one last wave Octavia headed for the door.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Harper leaned towards me and I turned to look at her, “would you mind if I got ready at your house? I’m dying to search your closet again.”

“Yeah, sure,” I smiled, “you can help me get rid of this.” I motioned towards the box the bottle of wine was in. “I’m not a _huge_ wine person.”

“With pleasure.” Harper wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed, then Cage walked up to the desk.

“Clarke! I’m glad I caught you,” he smiled and I could feel a shiver go down my spine. “I see you’ve received my gift,” he motioned towards the box.

“Yeah, I did, thank you,” I gave him what I hoped was a polite smile, “but I’m afraid I’m not of legal drinking age yet.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret,” Cage winked then turned around as someone called his name. “Well, duty calls, I hope you enjoy it.” He gave Harper and I the bright smile he usually had for interviews then turned and headed for the elevator. As soon as the doors closed behind him I sank in my chair, rubbing hands over my face.

“Good thing we both know he wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like TonDC.” I peeked at Harper from between my fingers. “Besides, Octavia and I won’t let you out of our sights, promise.”

“Thanks,” I gave her a weak smile. “I don’t know what it is about him but…” I trailed off. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it was like my ‘Danger Meter’ was in the red.

“Nope, I completely agree.”

The conversation was dropped when a customer came up to the desk and Harper’s phone rang. I let myself focus on my job and pushed any thoughts about Cage away. _He’s just trying to be nice._ _Yeah, keep telling yourself that_. Thankfully, the time at Arkadian seemed to fly by with the amount of people coming and going, and before I realized it Harper and I were walking to the parking lot together.

“So I’ll just follow you then?”

I looked between my car and hers then grinned. “Yep, if you can keep up.”

“You’re playing with fire, Griffin,” Harper teased then we both got in our cars and pulled out of our spots.

Because Harper already knew where my house was, it didn’t take her long to pass me up on the road, waving at me as she did so. I grinned then pressed down on the gas even more, if she really wanted to race then who was I to say no? We sped down the four-lane highway and I rolled my windows down. I was just gaining on her when the light up ahead turned yellow and we both slowed to a stop. We smiled at each other and she rolled down her passenger window.

“Loser buys the first round of drinks?” I offered.

“Just so you know, I have expensive taste.” Harper winked then the red light in front of us changed to green and we were off again.

I had always wanted to race someone, but Wells refused on the grounds that he couldn’t risk getting pulled over and having his dad find out. After racing Harper, I realized what I had been missing out on. I got in front of her right before we turned down my road and with the on coming traffic, I whipped into my driveway while she got held up waiting for a mail truck to pass. When she pulled in behind me, I was leaning against my car taking my hair out of what was left of my bun.

“That was fun, I want a rematch,” Harper said as she got out of her car.

“Just give me a when and where and you’re on,” I smirked then we both headed up my stairs and into my house.

“Do you have anything to eat? I’m hungry after that adrenaline rush.” Harper poked her head around the doorway to the kitchen and I waved my hand around.

“Help yourself.”

After a minute of nibbling on some chips and salsa, we broke into the bottle of wine that Cage had given me. It tasted a lot better than the thirty dollar bottles that Wells always bought which led to Harper looking up the price. I wish she hadn’t done that.

“This a _hundred dollar bottle_ , Clarke,” she gasped. “And it’s also close to the best wine I’ve ever tasted.”

“Really,” I looked at the glass in my hands and the dark red liquid swirling around in it. “You’ve had better than this?”

“Yeah, it was in California after I graduated high school, but I want to go to Italy one day and go to a vineyard there.”

“That seems like fun, I’ve never been past Texas,” I chuckled, “and I’ve definitely never left the continental U.S.”

“You haven’t gone further west than _Texas_? Oh you poor thing,” Harper pouted sympathetically before grabbing the bottle of wine. “Well, we’ll have to change that one day. But, for now, we have a concert to get ready for.”

Between the two of us, my closet never stood a chance. We decided to forgo the club outfits since that wasn’t what we were going to, and went straight for my more causal clothes. I looked at the temperature for that night and it was supposed to get slightly cooler, though not by much, so Harper decided on a pair of black cut-off shorts and my burgundy _Ramones_ band tee; it was a normal shirt up top but turned into strings right above the belly button. I on the other hand opted for my faded ripped jeans and dark gray v-neck that showed off a little bit of cleavage and hung off one of my shoulders. Harper found an old pair of converse that I forgot I had and slipped those one while I chose my black booties. They had a short heel, which I regretted later, but I like the outfit.

“Alright, makeup time,” Harper rummaged around in her purse and pulled out a small makeup bag. “Do we glam it up or keep it natural?”

“It’s a rock concert, I’m going all out.” I smirked and held up my eyeliner pencil. “I want something to make my eyes pop.”

“Then I have just the thing in mind.”

Harper sat me down on my bed and got to work on my eyeliner herself. She wouldn’t tell me what she was doing, but after about twenty minutes of me sitting there and letting her even put fake eyelashes on me, she turned me around to look in the mirror above my dresser. She had gone for a smoky eye, which is something I hadn’t ever been able to master, and that along with the false lashes made my eyes look even more blue than they already were. Harper grinned at me in the mirror as she admired her handiwork.

“I believe making your eyes pop was accomplished.”

“Yes it was,” I leaned forward and looked in the mirror, “remind me to buy you a drink tonight.”

“I’ll gladly take that as payment,” she smirked before leaning over and starting on her own makeup.

Thirty minutes later the two of us were ready to go. The bottle of wine was pretty much gone and Harper had texted Octavia to see if she would be able to pick the two of us so we wouldn’t have to call an Uber, but apparently Octavia had pre-gamed too so an Uber was our only option. We waited outside for the car to pull up then we slid into the back seat.

TonDC was tucked away on the edges of downtown and it was the go-to place for concerts. We each showed our I.D.’s and paid the $25 entry-fee then they marked my hands with X’s, telling everyone that I was underage, and wrapped a blue wristband around Harper’s. Once we got past the bouncers Harper smirked and leaned in, telling me she had a fake ID. We walked through a court-yard that had string lights canopying over the sitting area then we made our way through the doors of the bar that were spray painted. Inside, it was dark and the floor was solid concrete. To the right of the door was a tech booth and the only protection it had from the crowd was some planks of plywood, directly across from the door and on the other side of the room was the bar with the menu written above it in chalk, and to the far right of the room was the stage. It wasn’t a big room by any means, but I loved it.

Octavia materialized from somewhere in the crowd with a beer in her hands and a blue wristband on her left hand. I knew for a fact that she and Harper were younger than me, though I wasn’t sure how much younger, so the fact that they both had fake I.D.’s that allowed them to drink while at the concert made me sort of envious.

“Finally!” Octavia grinned at the two of us. She had chosen to wear black leather leggings and a gray tank top with her hair teased and pulled back into a half-up ponytail. She looked really badass. “I’ve been having to make up excuses to not talk to guys and it was starting to drive me _insane_.” Octavia turned towards me and took in my outfit before doing the same to Harper. “Holy shit do you guys look hot.”

“So do you babe.” Harper smiled at her friend.

“Yeah, you look great.”

Octavia turned back to the crowd she had come from and I noticed some guys staring at her. “Eat your hearts out, bitches.” She turned back to me and Harper and grinned. “Drinks! What do you want, Clarke?”

“Oh, um…” I looked up at the menu above the bar. “Whiskey and coke sounds good.”

“I got it,” Harper moved to head towards the bar, “a bet is a bet.” After she disappeared in the crowd of people, Octavia turned to me with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Bet?”

“Harper and I decided to race back to my house and the bet was whoever lost had to buy the first round of drinks.”

Octavia smirked. “Maybe we’ll have to see who’ll win one day.”

“You’re on.”

Harper returned with our drinks and we all stood around talking while waiting for the concert to begin. I learned that Octavia was studying political science and was doing the 3+3 program with the college which would allow her to go onto law school after three years of undergrad. There were a few guys who came up and tried to talk to us but between Harper and Octavia, they always ended up turning away and heading back to their friends with their tails tucked between their legs within three minutes.

When the concert finally started, we made our way to the center of the floor. Since the room was small, we weren’t far from the stage and, in my opinion, we had the best view in the house. When A.L.I.E. started, the crowd went _insane_. Everyone was jumping around, whipping their hair, and the three of us were screaming along to every word. At some point, some skinny guys decided to start trying to mosh and we had to retreat towards the back of the room to avoid the flying elbows and fists. The drinks never stopped either and by the time A.L.I.E. began their sixth song, I was already drunk.

The concert came to an end at midnight and the three of us stumbled out of the bar with Octavia and I holding our shoes in our hands. The world was spinning around me and there was a ringing in my ears, but I felt a freedom I hadn’t felt in a while. There’s always been something about concerts that makes you feel like you’re high without having actually taken any drugs. _It’s the alcohol._

We had walked through the gates of the courtyard and were leaning against the wall, trying to focus on our phones long enough to find a ride. I wasn’t wanting to take an Uber but I knew that I couldn’t exactly call Wells to come pick me up since he was probably trying to get enough sleep before his exam in the morning. It must’ve really sucked to have an exam on Saturday morning, but he was excited for his date with Sasha the following night.

“Guys,” Octavia’s voice came out as gasp and we turned to look at her. “I don’t feel so good.” Harper and I straightened and realized that Octavia was swaying from side to side. “I don’t—” her eyes rolled to the back of her head and I moved to catch her before she hit the ground, letting her fall on me instead.

“Octavia?” I sobered instantly. I tapped her face lightly then leaned forward, listening for breathing. _Thank god._ Her chest was still rising and I placed two fingers on her neck, feeling for her pulse. Her breathing and her heart rate were slowed, but it was steady. I forced myself to focus on my watch and timed her heartbeat then her breathing. If there was anything I learned from growing up with my mom being a doctor, it was how to assess someone.

I turned to Harper and saw that she was on the phone, talking rapidly to the person on the other end. “I’m not sure, I think she just drank too much.” Harper glanced towards me and Octavia. “How is she?”

“Breathing and heartbeat are steady, slow, but they’re steady.”

“Yeah, we’re outside TonDC,” she paused then snorted, “like we’re going anywhere.”

Sitting on the ground with Octavia in my lap, I laid my head against the brick wall behind me. I could feel my body wanting to fall asleep, but I forced myself to stay awake so I could monitor Octavia. We were waiting on the sidewalk for about ten minutes when two cars came screeching to a halt in front of us. The guy who got out of the first car looked somewhat familiar, but in the haze of being intoxicated I couldn’t force myself to get a good look at his face.

“ _Octavia._ ” He kneeled before me but his head was bent down, looking at the girl in my lap. “Octavia, wake up.” He tapped her face a little and she stirred, groaning slightly. “Come on, O.” He hooked one arm under her legs then wrapped the other around her back. When she was lifted off me I realized just how much she had been weighing me down.

I looked over at Harper who was talking to the guy who had gotten out of the other car. _He_ I recognized, he was a bartender at The Ark. “She needs a ride home.” Harper looked over at me then moved to bend down next to me. “Let’s get you home.”

The guy, Octavia, and Harper had taken off in one car after Harper and the bartender had helped me into the other car. The guy handed me a bottle of water and I mumbled something that I hope he understood was ‘ _thanks’_. Harper must’ve told him where I lived because before long he was pulling up to my house then opening my door to help me inside.

“It’s okay, I got it,” I tried to stand up straighter as I reached my front door. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” The guy nodded then turned to look at Harper’s car. “We’ll come get that tomorrow.”

“It’s fine,” I unlocked my door. “Can someone let me know how Octavia’s doing?”

“Yeah, sure.” The guy turned and headed down the stairs then turned back. “Do you know if she let her drink out of her sight at any point?”

“You think someone drugged her?”

He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know, but it’s not something we can rule out.”

“None of us ever sat our drinks down, but there was a lot of people there tonight and the place was packed.”

“So you’re saying that it still could’ve happened?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Alright, thank you.” He nodded towards the half-empty water bottle in my hands. “Be sure to finish that.”

“I will,” I pushed my way into my house but looked back before shutting the door. “Thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it,” the guy gave me a small smile before heading back to his car.

I stumbled into my bedroom and dropped my shoes by my door before shoving all the clothes off my bed. I knew that I should’ve at least _tried_ to take my makeup off, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to wipe my eye makeup off without poking my eyes out. I took off my t-shirt and nearly gagged when I realized it smelled like the bar, then I got to work trying to peel my skinny jeans off, and got frustrated when they wouldn’t get past my feet. _I’m too drunk for this_. Finally, I was able to kick them to the floor then I took of my bra. _Definitely too drunk for this_. I almost fell off my bed trying to grab a shirt from the floor then just decided _screw it_ when I couldn’t grab one and flicked the light beside my bed off. I huddled under my covers then tried to nurse on the bottle of water when my phone lit up.

**Harper**

**Harper:** O is fine, jst overstepppedd her limit s

 **Clarke:** _ok, thankk god, giv her my beest_

I sighed in relief then placed my phone back on my nightstand. I stared at the bottle of water there was no way I was going to be able to finish it without throwing up, so I just resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have a horrific hangover the next day. I closed my eyes and immediately got swept away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I based TonDC off a bar in New Orleans called Gasa Gasa, and it's the best place for a rock concert and has some of the best people I've ever met.
> 
> As usual, the next chapter is from Bellamy's POV so it's been posted too!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	7. My sister, my responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy’s Friday

I had an early exam to proctor and when it was over, I decided to stop by Clarke’s workplace to see how she was doing. Since that Monday night, Kane had told me to check up on her any chance I had which led to me spending way more time with Finn than I really wanted. There was a brief moment on Wednesday where Murphy took Finn’s spot since Finn had to go to a workshop for his job, and that was a great period of relief.

I decided to walk to the coffee shop instead of driving and trying to find a parking spot since it was right outside the gates of campus. I walked up the ramp and hung back, close enough to where I could see Clarke but hidden enough to where she wouldn’t see me, at least right away. I sat in the back corner of the courtyard and was surprised when Finn walked up the ramp and went inside without noticing me.

Finn walked up to the register where Clarke had her head bent down, presumably reading something, and when she looked up she smiled. It wasn’t the normal customer-service smile that he had seen Octavia wear, or the one he used from time to time when he would bartend in one of the guys’ place, this smile was one that said she was _interested_. I watched their brief interaction that ended with Clarke blushing. _What’s that about?_

Clarke made his drink and Finn got up, that interaction also ending with Clarke blushing again. _What are you doing, Collins?_ I sat in my corner of the courtyard and pretended to be on my phone while keeping an eye on Finn and Clarke. Part of keeping an eye on someone doesn’t require watching them _constantly_ , but Finn seemed to take that to heart when the girl was actually in front of him. Unlike the night when he was supposed to be watching her house.

After a couple more hours, Clarke disappeared into the back then came out with her backpack and waved bye to her coworker. She walked out of the front door then Finn came rushing out after her, calling her name. I couldn’t exactly make out what they were saying, but after a second Clarke looked uncomfortable before turning to get in her car. Finn held her door open and she gave him a small smile before he turned back and made his way back into the coffee shop. I waited until Clarke pulled away from the building before pocketing my phone and walking into the shop, taking the empty seat in front of Finn.

He started when I sat down across from him, but he leaned back in his chair and gazed at me. “Come for some coffee?”

“Well we both know why that’s not why you came here.”

Finn snorted. “No, I came here because I have a _job_ to do, and that job just happens to be watching one of the baristas.”

“But you’re doing more than just watching the barista, aren’t you?” I kept my gaze steady and he narrowed his eyes.

“What are you getting at, Blake?”

“You’re flirting with her.”

“I do have to talk to her so I can order my coffee.”

I raised an eyebrow. “But you don’t deny that you’ve been flirting with her?”

“Of course I haven’t been flirting with her,” Finn snorted but I could see his neck redden and he looked away from me. “Well, since she’s gone I should probably head out, you know, have to report to Kane.”

Finn pushed his chair back and stood up, not sparing me a second glance before he walked out the door, I got up and followed him. His car was parked a few spots down from where Clarke’s had been and when he tried to open his door, I shut it.

“What the fuck is your problem, Blake?”

“My _problem_ is that you’re not thinking about the repercussions this could have,” I growled. “Kane is trying to recruit her, and if she joins then what do you think is going to happen when she thinks that something may happen between the two of you and she finds out that you’re dating Raven? You lied about flirting with her and you obviously don’t care about Raven anymore if you’re doing something you _know_ is wrong.” My hand clenched at my side. “If you want to date someone else, then fine, but don’t lead Raven on and let her think that things are fine when they’re clearly not. She deserves better than you lying to her.”

“My relationship with Raven is none of your business, Bellamy.”

“When she joined us, she became family, so that does make it my business because no one is going to hurt someone in my family and get away with it.”

Finn’s jaw clenched and stepped closer to me. “Is that a threat?”

“Careful, you’re already on thin ice, Collins, and the only reason why you’re still walking around without a target on your forehead is because Kane is doing everything he can to keep that from happening.” Finn swallowed. “If you do anything, and I do mean _anything_ , Kane will listen if I tell him you should be kicked out.” I stepped back and removed my hand from his door. “Better go, don’t want to keep the boss waiting.”

I turned on my heel and headed back towards campus. The temperature had picked up since I left the house that morning so by the time I got to my motorcycle I was sweating. _What a fucking tool_. I wiped my face with my t-shirt then realized that there was a group of girls staring at me from in front of the history building. I shook my head then put my helmet on. I didn’t want to go home because that’s where Finn was headed and I didn’t want to go to The Ark because I had just worked there the night before. So, I just drove.

I ended up driving towards the levee and I parked in a spot just off the road then walked up the hill to the cobblestone walkway. My mind wandered as I walked down the levee and towards the old Naval ship that was docked just off the side of the archway. I still didn’t understand why Kane was so interested in Clarke and I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that Finn had ever been able to get Raven in the first place and the way he responds is to flirt with someone else while he was supposed to be working. Clarke was hot, no one could deny that, but the guy had a girlfriend for fuck’s sake. When I reached the archway I turned around and headed back towards my bike. _I still have papers to grade_.

On the ride home I decided to play music so I wouldn’t have to be alone with my thoughts anymore and when I pulled into the driveway, I was glad to see that Finn’s car wasn’t there. I decided to take the side entrance by the laundry room so I could get into the basement without having to run in to anyone and grab some clothes to change into. The idea that Finn would do that to Raven was still lingering in my mind and making me even more pissed off than I had been when I confronted him about it. _Raven doesn’t deserve that_.

After changing, I started the stereo that Raven had set up when she moved in and started blasting my workout music. I grabbed a jump rope off a hook on the wall and made my way into the middle of the open floor. I let the loud music wash over me as I started moving the jump rope around. Before long, I wrapped my hands then went back to the punching bag. Picturing Finn’s face on the bag helped relive some anger I had. I couldn’t say for sure how long I was there, but I had worked up a sweat when the music came to an abrupt end.

“I was listening to that,” I grumbled.

“Your angry playlist,” Octavia whistled, “what has your panties in a wad?”

“My _workout_ playlist, and nothing,” I immediately flinched at how harsh I sounded then gave my little sister an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I just, I haven’t had a good day.” I unwrapped my hands, wincing at the fact I still managed to scrape my knuckles.

Octavia took one look at my hands then went to the corner of the room where there was a makeshift medic station and motioned to the free chair in front of her. “Want to talk about it?”

I sat down and Octavia took one my hands and placed it on her leg while she poured some alcohol onto a cotton ball then started dabbing at my knuckles. It stung, but within a few seconds I was used to it. “I’m not sure what to say.”

“Alright, then let me go first,” Octavia threw the first cotton ball away and grabbed another, soaking it too. “I think Finn is trying to get with Clarke.”

“How do you know that?” I had been looking at my hand but I snapped my head up to look at Octavia.

“I visited Harper at work because she told me that Clarke had gotten another gift from Cage—"

 “You visited where Cage works? Are you insane!”

“Bellamy, _not_ the issue right now, but I was careful. We’re talking about Finn right now.”

“ _Fine_ , but this conversation isn’t over,” I groaned and ran my free hand through my hair. “Continue,”

“Anyway,” Octavia continued, glaring at me, “the gift was a fairly expensive bottle of wine by the way, and when Clarke showed up she said that she wished guys would just leave her alone then told us about her interaction with Finn this morning.”

“So you and Harper both know?”

Octavia stopped dabbing at my knuckles and looked at me. “I take it you know too?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I got out of the exam and decided to check in on her at the coffee shop. Finn didn’t see me but he certainly made it a point to make her blush, though I couldn’t hear their conversation. I’m assuming what Clarke told you was about him following her outside?”

“Yep, she said it was weird.”

“I could tell that just by looking at her,” I grumbled. “But I don’t think he’s going to try anything else.”

“Bell,” Octavia sighed before pulling out some Neosporin then she looked at me, “what did you do?”

“Why do you assume that I _did_ anything?”

“Because I know you, big brother,” Octavia smirked. “So, what’d you do to him?”

“I didn’t do much, I just told him that he owed it to Raven to not be a piece of shit and that the only reason he’s not dead is because of Kane but if he fucks up one more time then I’ll have him thrown out.”

“You would really throw him out when you know that Emerson wants him?”

“He’s put all of us in danger, O, he’s almost gotten Murphy killed, he’s gotten Jasper hurt, and he’s put _you_ in danger. Kane was never going to recruit him, he only did that because Raven made a case for him. Do you think when she finds out about him cheating on her she’s going to want him to stay?”

I watched as Octavia focused on bandaging my cuts without saying anything. Getting Finn kicked out would pretty much seal his fate if he’s left on his own, but Kane had already given him multiple chances and he can’t afford something else happening.

“I know you’re right, but he and Raven have spent their whole lives together, I don’t think she’ll want him to die.”

“She might after she finds out.”

“That’s the thing, Harper and I don’t know if we should tell her or not,” Octavia bit her bottom lip as she wrapped up my knuckles.

“Really? Isn’t that like girl code or something?”

“Well, he just flirted with her, it’s not like he had sex with her, I don’t know…I just don’t want to see Raven get hurt.”

“O,” I leaned forward, urging Octavia to look at me, “she’s going to be even more hurt if she finds out that we knew but didn’t tell her.”

Octavia sighed. “You’re right, and I would want someone to tell me if the situation was reversed.” She stood and I picked up my hand to inspect it. “Can we talk about this tomorrow with Harper? I’m going to TonDC with her and Clarke tonight and I need to get ready.”

I narrowed my eyes at my little sister. “You’re going to a concert?”

“Yeah, A.L.I.E. is playing,” she grinned, “girls night out.”

“You know I don’t like you going to that place by yourself,” I ran my newly bandaged hand over my face.

“I’m not going alone, didn’t you hear me? I’m going with Harper and Clarke.”

“And for some reason that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Come on, Bell, we both know Harper and I can protect ourselves. Besides, Kane already said I could go.”

“Fine,” I threw up my hands in surrender. “But make sure to have your phone fully charged, never let your drink out of your sight, and _stick together_. If anything happens, I want you to call me immediately, same thing goes for Harper.”

“Yes, _dad_.” Octavia rolled her eyes but reached over and ruffled my hair. I swatted her away. “Try not to hurt yourself while I’m gone, maybe you could play pool with Miller or something.” She turned and jogged towards the stairs. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

\---

After Octavia left I decided to try and get some grading done. With it being the end of the semester and grades due early the following week, I wanted to have my weekend free. I got through about half of the exams before deciding to take a break and I headed down to the kitchen where Monty and Jasper were throwing marshmallows into each other’s mouths.

“Bellamy, think fast.” I barely had enough time to register that Jasper was throwing a marshmallow at me before catching it in my mouth.

“A little warning would be nice.”

“I said think fast,” Jasper chuckled. “What happened to your hands.”

“It looks like he got into a fight with the punching bag, _again_.” Monty hopped onto the counter.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled as I made my way to the fridge. “What do y’all want for dinner?”

“Spaghetti!”

“Pizza!”

“I vote hamburgers.” Raven made her way into the kitchen and came to a stop by the fridge. “And ladies get priority.”

“Who says you’re a lady, Reyes?” Murphy smirked and came in from the living room.

“Oh, very funny, _John_ , truly,” Raven snorted before turning back to me. “Seriously, though, burgers sound awesome.”

“I could go for a burger,” I straightened and turned to everyone else in the room. “Burgers?”

In the end, everyone agreed and a mass text was sent out saying that’s what would be for dinner. I couldn’t push the thought of Octavia being at a concert, with her fake I.D., out of my head. _She’s an adult, she has to make her own decisions._ Raven seemed to catch on to the fact that I was just anxiously waiting for Octavia to come home so she took to distracting me with teaching her how to make a hamburger patty without it falling apart.

The hours seemed to go by at a snails pace and at one point I looked up the concert details and saw that it should end around midnight, and I was wondering if they would need a ride back. I was laying on a beanbag in the game room while Miller and Murphy played a game of pool when Harper’s name popped up on my phone.

“Hello?” _They probably need a ride._

“Bellamy?” The panic in Harper’s voice made me sit up.

“Harper? What’s wrong?” The two guys at the pool table stopped to look at me.

“Bellamy, Octavia passed out, we’re drunk, I don’t know what happened—”

“Harper, calm down, where are you?” I jumped up from the beanbag and started sprinting towards the front of the house, grabbing the keys to Kane’s impala as I did, while Miller and Monty ran after me.

“We’re outside the bar, Bellamy, hurry.”

“I’m already on my way,” I wedged the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I put on my shoes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just drunk, it’s Octavia I’m worried about.”

“Stay right where you are, we’re coming to get you.” I threw open the door then turned back to look at Miller. “Call Nyko and get him over here, I don’t know what we’re dealing with.” Miller nodded his head then disappeared back into the house and I looked at Murphy. “You’re with me, someone’s going to need to bring Clarke home.”

I was half expecting Murphy to complain or try to get out of it, but he said nothing as he grabbed the keys to his car off the hook and followed me outside. I sped down the road and weaved through traffic with Murphy right behind me as we made our way to TonDC. The worst possible scenarios were going through my head and when I had to stop at a red light I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel. My phone started going off and I fished it out of my pocket, expecting it to be Harper but it was Murphy.

“What?” I snapped.

“She probably just drank too much.”

“You called me just to tell me that?”

“I called because there’s a cop one car to your left and he saw you hit your steering wheel. Calm down or you’ll have more trouble getting to your sister than you want.” I glanced in my side mirror and, sure enough, there was a cop next to me. He wasn’t looking but I ended the call just as the light turned green and I had to keep myself from pressing down on the gas as I started moving.

We pulled onto the road the bar was on and I could see Harper standing on the sidewalk looking up and down the road for us but I didn’t see Octavia. My gut clenched and my heartrate picked up before I saw her laying on the ground in Clarke’s lap. Octavia was definitely unconscious and Clarke and Harper looked drunk, but something that caught my attention was the fact that Clarke seemed to be checking Octavia’s heartrate.

I pulled to a halt in front of them and Murphy slammed on his breaks so he wouldn’t hit me. I jumped out of the car and ran towards my sister. “ _Octavia_. Octavia wake up.” I tapped her face and her face scrunched up and she groaned. _Maybe she is just drunk_. “Come on, O.” I picked her up and walked towards the car, opening the back door and laying her down on her side.

When I turned around, Harper was helping Murphy put Clarke into the passenger seat of his car. I made my way back to the driver’s side and Murphy and I nodded at each other before Harper slipped into the back of my car with Octavia. Once her door was shut I took off back towards the house. _She just had too much to drink_.

As I pulled into the driveway in front of the house, everyone was waiting outside for us. Kane had been talking to Nyko when I stopped in front of the steps, then they both rushed down to the car. Kane pulled Octavia out with Harper following, then we all ran into the house. Kane had set up a room a while back as sort of a medical room, with a few hospital beds and enough supplies to handle almost any sort of problem. He laid Octavia onto the hospital bed and Nyko when to work on checking her vitals.

“How much has she had to drink?” Nyko directed the question at Harper without taking his eyes away from his patient.

“Four beers, five shots, one mixed drink. But she drank before she got there.”

“Add another three shots,” Raven spoke up. “I helped her get ready and she didn’t want to drink alone.”

“Jesus Christ,” I swore under my breath. _Octavia has a high tolerance but that’s too much_.

“Did she throw up?”

“No.”

“Did she say anything?”

“She said she didn’t feel good and started swaying, then she passed out. Clarke said her heartbeat was steady and so was her breathing.”

“Did she leave her drink unattended?”

“No, never, but we still checked them each time before drinking them.”

I glanced over at Harper’s hand. Her fingernails were plain, but I could see a clear coat on them. _Thank god._ A year ago, there was a string of attacks that happened after someone had slipped drugs into unsuspecting women’s drinks. It scared the girls enough to where they all worked together, with the help of Jasper, to create a clear nail polish that would detect drugs in their drinks when they went out. Someone else had also come up with that idea, but, as the girls said, if you want something done right then you have to do it yourself. I looked over at Octavia’s fingers and saw the same thing.

“Without doing blood work or a urine sample, my best diagnosis is alcohol poisoning.” Nyko turned and looked through some things before coming back with an IV bag. “This should help with that, and I’ll stay overnight to keep an eye on her.” He set the bag up by her bed and put the IV in her arm. “There’s not much else to do for now.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Kane clasped Nyko on his shoulder and Nyko nodded.

“Of course.”

“Alright,” Kane turned towards the rest of us. “It’s late, I know you’re all exhausted after exams,” he looked at Harper, “and you definitely need to get some rest.”

“Yes, sir.” Harper nodded and Monty tightened his arm around her shoulder.

“I got you,” he whispered then guided her towards the door. Everyone else hesitated before turning to follow them.

I stood there for a second, just staring at my little sister unconscious on the bed. I could feel tears prick the corners of my eyes and I looked away. _My sister, my responsibility. I should’ve been there tonight_.

“Bellamy, can I talk to you out in the hall?” Kane walked past me and I followed. “Look at me.” I forced myself to bring my eyes up to his. “You can’t blame yourself for this.”

“I shouldn’t have let her go alone.”

“She wanted to have a night out with her friends, Bellamy, you can’t be there all the time.”

“But still should’ve been there!”

“And what could you have done?”

“I could have done _something_. Reminded her to drink water, or told her that she had had enough. I could have done something, Kane!” The tears streamed down my face, scorching my skin as they went. “I could have done something.” My voice broke and I held back a sob that threatened to rip itself out of my throat

Kane reached out and pulled me towards him. Neither of us were big on hugging, or affection for that matter, but I let myself return the gesture. He patted me on the back and pulled away.

“You may not have been there then, but you can be there now.” Kane opened the door to the room. “She still needs you.” I nodded my head and looked up at him. I could see his eyes turning red before I stepped into the room and he shut the door behind me.

I grabbed the chair from the other side of the room and placed it across from Nyko on the other side of Octavia’s bed. I grabbed her hand and held onto it. When she slept, she looked years younger. I could still see the ten-year-old girl with big green eyes and a mischievous streak. _Some things never change_.

I must’ve dozed off at some point but when I felt the bed move slightly I woke up and saw Octavia’s eyes open slightly in the dark room.

“Bell—,” her voice came out dry and cracked.

“Hey, little sister,” I smiled at her and forced the tears away. “I’m here.”

“Bell,” her eyes started to drift downwards, “the song.” I barely caught the last words but when I realized what she said, my heart ached. _The song_.

_“Gotta hold on easy as I let you go_   
_Going to tell you how much I love you_   
_Though you think you already know…”_

I continued with the song, and it seemed like the corners of Octavia’s mouth turned upwards. I had never been a good singer, but when I was nine-years-old my mother was playing the radio and a song came on that I couldn’t forget. I was playing with Octavia while my mom cooked, but we had to stop because someone pounded on our front door. Our mother had rushed us into a closet and Octavia had gotten scared, but I needed to keep her quiet, so I started singing. I didn’t know at the time it was a Tim McGraw song, I hate country music, but it resonated with me, and ever since then I sang it whenever Octavia got scared or when she was having a hard time falling asleep.

When I finished it, my tears were falling onto the sheet and I wiped my eyes with my free hand. _I haven’t sang that in so long_. Octavia didn’t stir again, and I was grateful she was getting rest, but that was a very long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have been hectic recently and I’m getting a puppy today, so the next update might come a little later than usual. I hope you forgive me!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	8. The Start of Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke's last day at the coffee shop and Bellamy starts to learn about Kane's connections

The temperature continued to rise and I stayed in my house with the air conditioner blowing at full speed, refusing to leave. Harper kept texting me over the weekend with updates on Octavia, and it seemed like we were both still nursing hangovers on Sunday. Thankfully, Wells came to my aid, armed with tons of water and a pizza from my favorite pizza place, but even that didn’t help with the dread that filled me at the thought of going back to the coffee shop. Finals were officially over, and so was my time there. Come the following week, I would be working at Arkadian Inc. full-time until the fall semester started. My last day wasn’t supposed to be until Monday but Maya had to bring her little brother to the doctor and asked if I could cover for her and she would take my Monday shift. That’s one thing I would miss about the coffee shop, working with Maya.

“I don’t suppose I could call in sick on my last day, huh?” I yelled from my bathroom. I would usually never wear a full face of makeup to the coffee shop but, if I’m being honest, I looked like death.

“It’s the Sunday _after_ finals, Clarke, nobody is going to be there.” Wells came into view and leaned against the door frame.

“Will you be there?” I stopped and smiled at him. On particularly slow days, Wells would come hangout while I worked and go over his papers from Ark Inc.

Wells sighed dramatically and rested his head on the wall. “Honestly, what would you do without me?”

“Crash and burn.”

“Damn straight.” Wells grinned and I felt myself do the same. _Really, what would I do without you, Jaha?_

Wells had been right about there not being anyone at the shop. Even the regulars that came in every day during the semester weren’t there. Since there wasn’t anyone there, customer or worker wise, Wells sat near the counter and we talked about our plans for the summer. His dad already had at least a dozen events that Wells was expected to attend and he was in the middle of trying to convince me to go to most of them with him when a customer came in. I looked up and, surprisingly, it was the motorcycle guy.

“Hi, what can I get you?” I straightened and tried not to stare. I doubted he remembered who I was, but I certainly remembered him.

“Hello again.” He stopped short and it seemed like he was shocked to see me, but that expression was gone faster than it came.

“Hey, motorcycle guy.” I smirked.

“Motorcycle guy, huh?” He snorted but I could see one side of his mouth turn up.

“Well, you ride a motorcycle.”

“Alright then, Mustang girl.” He smirked.

I smiled. “What can I get you?” 

“Large black coffee, please, and a frozen chocolate mocha with extra chocolate.”

I grinned at the two completely different drinks. “Alright, your total is $6.73.” He handed me a ten dollar bill and after I gave him his change, he dropped his coins in the tip jar.

“Thanks.” He walked to the side of the counter and nodded towards Wells. Just as I started to get his drink ready the door opened again.

“Did you get my drink, Bell?” At the familiar voice, I turned around and saw Octavia. Harper had said that Octavia was doing better but, after Friday night, I didn’t expect her to be up and moving around this much. Even I was still hungover.

“Octavia?” I wasn’t paying attention to the coffee in my hands and ended up burning myself. _Fuck that hurts._

“Oh, hey, Clarke.” There were dark circles under her eyes and she was wearing leggings and a tank top with her hair swishing around behind her in a ponytail, but grinned. “I thought you said you didn’t work today.”

“I didn’t, but a coworker asked me to fill in for her. Today’s my last day though.” 

"That must be rough, Harper said the two of you are still hungover."

“It's not so bad. But what about you? How are you feeling? I’ve been worried.”

“Eh, I’m okay. Just didn’t keep track of my drinks well enough.” Octavia shrugged like it was no big deal.

Motorcycle guy snorted from the corner and Octavia shot him a glare. “Clarke, that brooding asshole is my pain in the ass big brother Bellamy.”

“Really, O?” Bellamy groaned and Octavia smirked before turning back to me.

“So, last day, how do you feel?”

“I’ll probably still come here a lot, it’ll just be a lot better since I won’t be the one working.”

Octavia laughed. “Well, I don’t think Ark Inc. is going to be much better with Cage there.”

“What do you mean?” Wells piped up from his seat beside the counter.

“Nothing you need to worry about, Jaha.” I tried reassuring him, but he didn’t seem to buy it. I had told him about the flowers and he said that Cage was just being nice, but I hadn’t told him about the wine. I handed Bellamy his drink then got to work on Octavia’s. “What brings y’all here?”

“I wanted some good coffee to try and help me back on my feet and from what you told me, this seemed like the place to go.”

“Yes it is.” I smiled then put the ingredients in the blender and turned it on. “It seems like all three of us went a little too hard.”

“But the concert was fun.” Octavia grinned.

“Hell yeah it was.”

“Maybe when we’re all feeling better I can take you up on that race.” Octavia smirked and I could see her green eyes dance.

“Just give me a time and a place.”

“Race?” Motorcycle guy—Bellamy—asked from his spot near the wall.

“Yeah, Harper and I raced back to my house Friday and Octavia said that we should see who would win out of us.”

“Octavia—”

“Really, big brother, it’s just a little bit of fun.”

Bellamy sighed and ran his fingers through his black curls, causing them to stand up a little. “If you say so. I’m going to go cool off the car.” I watched as Bellamy made his way towards the door but turned around right before going through it. “It was nice to officially meet you, Clarke.” Bellamy smirked then he was gone.

“Sorry about him, he’s difficult to handle.”

“No worries, he seems fine.” I shrugged then turned to pour Octavia’s drink into a cup.

“Right, _fine_.” Wells snorted.

“Wells.” I rolled my eyes. _Not what I meant. But he’s that, too_. I finished putting the whipped cream and chocolate onto Octavia’s drink and handed it to her.

“I’ll see you around, yeah?” Octavia grabbed a straw and some napkins. “Maybe you, me, and Harper can all get lunch together at some point this week.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” I smiled at the other girl. “I hope you feel better.”

“Thanks, you too.” Octavia waved bye to Wells then disappeared out the door.

“Motorcycle guy?” I looked over at Wells who was trying, and failing, to hide his amusement.

“I didn’t know his name.” I shrugged. “I had only seen him once.”

“You think he’s _fine._ ” Wells teased. I could feel myself blush.

“ _Fine_ as in _a fine person_ ,” I groaned, “not _fine fine_.”

“But you think he’s _fine fine_ too.” Wells wiggled his eyebrows and I threw the rag that I had draped over my shoulder at him.

“I am so not having this conversation with you.” I laughed and Wells did too. “So, the first event, are you sure you don’t want to bring Sasha?”

Wells and I talked for the rest of my shift about which events he wanted me to go to and which ones we figured Sasha would be okay with attending. Of course, it could draw attention with Wells bringing two different girls to his father’s events, but it’s not like it would be the first time that’s happened. Wells and I, we’re a package deal. No exceptions. Sometimes people can’t handle the fact that I have a guy as a best friend, and vice versa, and it always comes down to ‘a guy and a girl can’t be friends without one of them wanting something more’. Which is complete bullshit if you ask me.

He walked me back to my house and, even though it was only six o’clock, I was tired. We said our goodbyes and once he was gone I changed into my pajamas then heated up some leftover pizza. My food supply was already dwindling even though it had only been a week, but I would still have to wait _another_ week to get my first check from Ark Inc. Sure, it was going to be more than what I was making at the coffee shop, but the check I would be getting from there wasn’t going to be much since I had to cut back my hours for finals. Not to mention I was going to have to get a dress for the company party. _Perfect_. I was beginning to nod off when my phone chimed. I rolled over and grabbed it off my nightstand. It was Octavia.

**Octavia**

**Octavia:** Hey, it’s Octavia! I hope u don’t mind, I asked Harper for ur number

 **Clarke:** Hey! It’s totally fine

 **Octavia:** Great lol Harper and I talked, would u want to get lunch with us tomorrow?

 **Clarke:** I’d love to lol better than trying to avoid Cage at the cafe

 **Octavia:** My thoughts exactly ;) see u tomorrow!

 **Clarke:**  See ya!

 

* * *

 

 _She was not supposed to be working today._ I slammed the driver door shut and turned the truck on. _Fuck_. Monty had checked Clarke’s schedule and said that her last day was going to be Monday and that her coworker was supposed to be at the coffee shop. That was the only reason why I let Octavia talk me into bringing her to Highland Coffees to get her something to drink. _Kane is not going to like this_. I sat in my truck and went over all of the possible responses that Kane could have to being told that Clarke saw me, _again_ , and now knows that I’m related to Octavia. _She was going to find out at some point, but not this early._

I’m not sitting in the truck for long when Octavia comes walking down the sidewalk. She was recovering pretty well, all things considered, but she was still a little slow. She’d never been one to stay in the house for long periods of time without wanting to do _something_ and she had wanted to get coffee. What kind of brother would I have been if I had told her no? She opened the passenger side door and handed me her drink before hauling herself into the seat. She looked tired.

“That was unexpected.” Octavia sighed and leaned her head against the head rest.

“Yes, it was.” I agreed, pulling out of the parking spot.

“Kane is not going to be happy.”

“Not at all.”

“She was going to find out sooner or later.” Octavia mumbled and I looked over. Her eyes were closed and it seemed like she was going back to sleep.

“Let’s get you home.”

I tried to keep myself from thinking about Clarke on the ride back. I knew Kane would probably pull me from watching her, there would be no way she could see me again and not start to get ideas. I turned the radio on and made sure the volume was low enough to where I wouldn’t bother Octavia. My summer had just began and I was already as stressed as I was during the semester. _I’m supposed to be relaxing._

I pulled into the driveway and woke Octavia up. She grumbled a little but grabbed her drink and went inside with me following behind her. We both knew that we would have to tell Kane what happened sooner rather than later so we made our way into the kitchen where he was making lunch.

“Ah, you’re back. I see you got your coffee,” he nodded to the cup in Octavia’s hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Octavia yawned then took a sip of her drink. “But we have to tell you something.”

Kane sighed and grabbed the towel off his shoulder, wiping up some water from in front of the sink. “Whenever you start with that, it’s never good.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “What happened?”

“Well—”

“Clarke was at the coffee shop.” I sighed.

“But we didn’t know she would be working, I asked Monty to check her schedule and she wasn’t supposed to work until tomorrow.”

“She said that she picked up the shift for her coworker.”

Kane looked at us for a second then ran his hands over his face. “Well, I can’t blame the two of you.” He looked down at the floor for a second before turning to look at me. “But I can’t risk having you being seen by her again. So unless I _really_ need you, you’re off babysitting duty. And you,” he turned to Octavia, “she probably thinks the two of you are becoming friends so I’d like for you to get close to her.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice, Kane, I want to be her friend.” Octavia grinned and I turned and looked at her. “What? She’s pretty cool.”

Kane chuckled lightly and I could see one corner of his mouth turn up. “She’s certainly something.” _Interesting._

“Okay, well now that that’s settled, I’m going to go see Harper.” Octavia gave Kane and I a wave before disappearing down the hallway.

“I can see the gears turning in your head, Bellamy,” Kane looked at me, “what is it?”

“You act like you know who Clarke is.”

“Yes?”

“Do you?”

Kane sighed. “Let’s go into my office.” Kane grabbed the plate with his sandwich on it then started towards his study. When I walked in, I shut the door behind me before taking a seat across from Kane. He hand me half of his sandwich and I took it gratefully. “I wasn’t wanting to say anything until she had agreed to join us, but I trust that what we talk about in here will never leave this room.”

“You know it won’t.”

Kane smirked. “Yes, I do.” He took a bite of his sandwich then leaned back in his seat. “I met her parents in college, before I dropped out to join the military. Her father was studying engineering and her mother was studying medicine. Jake and I butted heads at first but we worked well together, all three of us did. Well, we kept in touch when I left and reconnected again when my time in the army was over. So, along with keeping an eye on your family I was also around when Clarke was a baby. Jake and Abby were the first people I told about my idea for a better city and they were all for it. It wasn’t until that things started to get more... _difficult_ , when Abby said that she didn’t want me to be around Clarke and she didn’t like the idea of Jake helping me.”

“She tried stopping him?”

“Yeah, she didn’t want him getting involved in any of it. But the two of them were my best friends and, together, we did a lot of good. But, when they died…” Kane trailed off and he got a faraway look in his eyes. “When they died, I took it upon myself to keep an eye on Clarke, but she had Jaha helping her.”

“You know Thelonious Jaha too?”

“How do you think I get access to all of the events that the Wallace’s attend?” _Now that he mentions it, it makes sense._ “Jake and Abby became friends with him while I was deployed, but when I came back, Thelonious was the man who helped me get custody of you and Octavia.”

“He was?”

“Yes, he was.” Kane nodded. “Thelonious and I have a working relationship now that the Griffins are gone. If I need access to events or certain information on the Wallaces, then he does what he can, but he’s a lawyer and he holds the law in high regard. He’s caught between wanting to help make the city a better place and the legal repercussions that can come with giving me classified information.”

“He’s having a problem with giving you classified information but not the fact that _everything_ Dante Wallace does is _illegal_? Cage just got Diana Sydney off the hook for killing her husband!”

“Yes, he did, but you and I both know that the court system is not always fair. I'm not claiming to know how Jaha thinks.”

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “So, with Clarke, you’re trying to recruit her because you feel like you owe it to her? Why can’t you let Jaha just take care of her?”

“Clarke is as stubborn as her mother and will not take any help from anyone unless she needs it.”

“But you do realize that you don’t have to try and save everyone, don’t you?”

Kane’s eyes suddenly got darker, and somehow he looked older than he really was. “I tried to save her parents and I failed. I’m not going to let the same thing happen to Clarke.”

“I thought her parents died in a freak car crash? How could you have saved them from that?”

“Because that car crash wasn’t an accident, Bellamy.” Kane looked at me, sadness etched across his face. “Abby and Jake Griffin were murdered, and it’s my fault.”

“What do you—” I was cut off by a knock at the door and I clamped my mouth shut.

“Come in!” Kane called and Harper and Octavia both stuck their heads in.

“Bad time?” Harper looked between me and Kane but he shook his head.

“No, just talking, what’s on y’all’s mind?” Harper and Octavia smiled and moved into the room.

“You told me to get to know Clarke and then find some furniture for her, well, Octavia and I just did some searching and we think we have everything.” Harper said and Octavia placed the computer on the desk in front of Kane.

“We figured we could find some things that would match so there’s this nice dining table that’s just big enough to fit in her dining room without being cramped.” Octavia pointed at something on the screen.

“Then, like I said, the couch she has now is atrocious, but we found this sofa that seems to go with the color scheme that she likes, a rug, some curtains, a coffee table, an end table, and a TV. Possibly.”

“Then for her bathroom, we have a better shower curtain, some rugs, and better towels.”

“Jesus, are y’all trying to buy her?” Just listening to everything that Harper and Octavia were spouting off was making my head spin. I know it’s Kane’s MO to buy furniture for some of his recruits but he would basically be furnishing her entire house.

“None of you have seen the inside of her house, it’s _really_ bad.” Harper pointed out and I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

“If you say so.”

“I do say so, Blake.” Harper arched an eyebrow at me then turned towards Kane. “All of this is actually ready to go at the mall so it would either be ready to be dropped off or picked up as early as tomorrow.”

“Sounds perfect, thank you both for helping me with this. If you would leave the computer here for me I’ll bring it back to you after I get everything situated.”

“You got it, boss.” Harper and Octavia smiled then disappeared out the door.

“Are you really going to buy all of that for her?”

“Even if she doesn’t agree to join our cause, it’s the least I can do.” Kane gives me a look before turning to the computer in front of him. “But while I’m getting this figured out, can you round up everyone and pull them into the living room? We need to make a plan for the upcoming event at Arkadian Incorporated.”

“Sure.” I grabbed the empty plate off his desk then headed towards the door.

“And Bellamy?” I turned around to look at him, and he brought his eyes up to mine.

“Don’t let yourself get too caught up with her.”

“What makes you think that would happen?”

Kane smirked. “Because I know you, son.”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes before heading out the door. _So, he knew her parents_. _And her parents were killed_. I dropped the plate off in the kitchen where Murphy was heating up some left over chicken and told him that there was going to be a mandatory meeting in the living room in ten. Then I made my way through the living room to tell Monty and Jasper, and up the stairs to stop by everyone else’s rooms. Not everyone that worked for Kane was considered one of his ‘kids’, like Dax or John Mbege, but we all had some sort of _record_ so we were all Delinquents.

We had all gathered in the living room when Kane appeared and gave Harper her laptop back. He took his place in front of the room and crossed his arms. Looking at all of us. “So, the annual Arkadian Incorporated event is going to be this following weekend and we have to figure out who will be attending, who will be working, and who will be keeping watch.” I always hated going to those events; surrounded by stuck up people flashing their money and talking shit about those they deem beneath them. “Harper, as usual you will be one of the few with an invitation, Monty, I’m sure you’ll be her plus one.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Monty smiled at Harper and Octavia, Jasper, and Raven all did a little _aw._

“Miller, Murphy, the two of you will be working the bar.”

“What about Bellamy?” Miller piped up and Kane looked at me.

“Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I can’t have Bellamy being seen by Clarke Griffin. Now, Jasper, Collins, you’ll be on waiter duty.” _Not so sure that’s a good idea._ “Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, the three of you will be with me keeping an eye on everything from a distance.” Everyone just nodded in agreement but no one said anything. “Alright, if no one has any questions then you’re free to go and we’ll talk about getting clothes tomorrow.”

People started filing out of the room and I moved towards Kane. “I don’t think having Finn be a waiter is a good idea.” I whispered, and Kane didn’t look surprised.

“And why is that?”

I turned and looked for Octavia and Harper then called them over before turning back to Kane. “Because Clarke will recognize him.”

“What’s wrong now, Bell?” Octavia appeared at my shoulder with Harper next to her.

“We never picked up our conversation from Friday night.”

“What conversation?” Harper’s eyebrows knitted in confusion but Octavia understood what I was getting at.

“Finn and Clarke.” She whispered.

“What happened?” Kane looked at all three of us.

“I stopped at the coffee shop after my exam Friday morning and saw Finn talking to Clarke. He was ordering his drink but the way she reacted leads me to believe that he was flirting with her. Then he followed her outside and tried to talk to her when she was leaving work.”

“And when I stopped by to see Harper at work that day, she told us that it seemed like he wanted to say more but he didn’t.” Octavia chimed in.

“She said it was weird.”

“Wait, you went to Ark Inc. Friday? And you didn’t tell me?” _So I’m not the only one who sees a problem with that._

“You don’t have to tell me how dangerous that was, Bellamy already went through that.” Octavia rolled her eyes. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea to have Finn work the event.”

“Me either.” Harper agreed.

“See? I’m not the only one.”

Kane looked at us then glanced to the kitchen where Finn and Raven were laughing. He sighed. “Very well. God, why can’t any of you listen when I tell you _do not interact._ ” Kane ran his hands over his face and through his hair. “I’ll have a talk with Finn tonight.” Kane glanced back over at Finn and Raven. “Please, tell me when something like this happens.” He gave us his _dad look_ then disappeared down the hall.

“Well, that went about how I expected.” Harper sighed.

“Yep, pretty much.”

“Have the two you figured out if or when you’re going to tell Raven?” The two girls looked at each other.

“We’re worried about how she’ll react.” Octavia whispered.

“It’s probably not going to be well, but, O, you said that if the situations were reversed then you’d want to know.”

“I would too.” Harper agreed. But, if we’re being honest, Monty looks at Harper like she hung the moon and the stars, so she would never have to worry about something like that.

“Well, then it’s settled.” I nodded at the two of them and then turned to leave. “How the two of you choose to do it is up to you.”

I went to my room and worked on my research for a few hours until something in me began pulling me towards my bike. It was nearing nine o’clock and I knew everyone would be heading to bed since they all just ate dinner, but something told me I needed to go for a ride. I made my way towards the front door, making sure not to step on any of the creaky floorboards, before grabbing my helmet and my keys then slipping out the door. The temperature had cooled off considerably but I could still feel the air sticking to my skin. 

I pushed my bike down the driveway and towards the road before starting it. Of course no one would have questioned where I was going, they never did, but something in me just didn’t want anyone to know. I rode down the streets and headed towards the city. I didn’t have any destination in mind, but once I ended up close to the university lakes, I realized where I was headed.

I drove by her house and her car was in her driveway but all of her lights were out. Kane didn’t have anyone on duty tonight but I couldn’t help but feel like she needed someone watching her. With the guys that tried cornering her the previous weekend and the whole thing going on with Cage, I felt like _something_ was bound to happen. I turned off her street and parked near an open lot where I still had a view of her house.

I may have been there for an hour, ignoring the messages that kept popping up on my phone until eventually I turned it off. It was stupid to just sit outside, I know, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was supposed to be there. I stayed and watched and as it neared towards eleven, I came to the conclusion that maybe nothing was going to happen. I sighed and began moving my bike so I could head home when something caught my attention. Well, some _one_ , more accurately. I could tell it was a guy and for a second I thought it was Cage, but when the streetlight hit their face I realized it was Finn. _What the fuck is he doing here?_

Finn looked around, taking care to inspect every inch of the street should someone be watching, but he still skipped over where I was standing. I watched as he looked up and down the street a second time before starting towards her house. The fact that he knew what he was doing was wrong in so many ways but continued to do it pissed me off to no end. I continued to watch as he stopped in front of her door and, instead of knocking, bent down and placed something on her porch. He straightened the headed back the way he came. I didn’t see his truck, which meant he probably parked it somewhere down the road, so I waited for fifteen minutes until I was sure he was gone before heading towards her house.

 _Really, you see a girl a couple of times in a coffee shop then you leave presents at her house? You’re not even supposed to know where she lives_. I snorted then tip toed towards her porch, pulling out my phone to use as a light. I kneeled down and looked at the little metal figurine. It was a griffin. An image flashed in my mind of the metal raven that hung around Raven’s neck. _Fucking asshole._ I picked the object up and placed it in my pocket before heading back towards my bike. _He just can’t help himself_.

On my ride back home, I went over everything in my head and came to the conclusion that it would be better to let Harper and Octavia figure out how to tell Raven because I knew I would make things worse if I said anything. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a talk with Finn again. When I pulled into the driveway, all of the lights in the house were out and I decided to take the secret entrance into my room from the storage room. For some reason, the person who built this house decided that they wanted to have the storage room under the carport connect to one of the rooms in the house. Which just so happened to be my room. Kane kind of hand his hands full with me when I was teenager.

Once I was back in my room I placed the griffin on my desk then threw myself onto my bed. The anger I had been feeling gave away to exhaustion but that still didn’t help the fact that I wanted to punch Finn’s face in. He couldn’t hurt Raven and get away with it. _I’m not going to let him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Kane has a habit of picking up kids along the way and Clarke is no exception! Someone guessed that he knew her parents and they were right, but does Clarke remember who Kane is? Does anyone else know that what happened to Abby and Jake wasn't an accident? I guess we'll just have to wait and see ;) Thank you for reading! 
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	9. Another day, another gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in so long! I had a few things come up, I hope you can forgive me :)
> 
> Clarke gets another gift
> 
> Sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes!

Monday I had lunch with Octavia and Harper at the McDonald’s next to our work. Octavia already looked better than she had the day before and it seemed like Harper and I had recovered pretty well too. We talked about our summer plans and I brought up the fact that I was going to be going with Wells to some of the more boring events that his father had planned for him, then the conversation drifted to the company event that following weekend.

“Are you going to go with anyone, Clarke?” Octavia asked as she popped a chicken nugget into her mouth.

“Wells.” I smiled. “My first event and he wants me to stick by his side so he can introduce me to everyone. What about you, Harper? Are you bringing your boyfriend?”

“Yeah, you’ll get to meet him.” Her face broke out into a sweet smile, “His name is Monty.”

“You’ll love Monty, he’s great.” Octavia grinned. “He and Jasper know how to make some good moonshine too.”

“Octavia!” Harper swatted at her friend’s shoulder. “They don’t have a permit for that.” The other girl just shrugged, her grin still plastered on her face.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet him.” I picked at some of my fries. “What exactly is the normal dress code for this? I still need to find a dress.”

“I have a dress you can borrow.” Octavia squinted her eyes at me and then looked under the table. “Yeah, you’re definitely borrowing it.”

“Um, no offense, but I don’t think I’ll fit into it.” It was true, Octavia was smaller than me so there was no way I’d be able to squeeze into something she would normally wear.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, I can make some adjustments.” Octavia said simply. “You are going to kill Saturday night.” Octavia winked and I felt myself smile.

“Well _I_ still need a dress,” Harper looked between me and Octavia, “don’t suppose the two of you would be up for helping me find one, huh?”

“Like I’d ever miss a chance to go shopping.” Octavia snorted.

“Yeah, sounds great count me in.”

“Perfect!” Harper clapped her hands together.

“Oh, our lunch break is almost up.” I looked at the watch on my right wrist. “We should probably start heading back.”

“Okay, well I should probably get going too, I have to see my brother about my car.” We all stood up and Octavia gave Harper and I gave her a hug bye. “We’ll talk about a day to go shopping at some point this week.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Awesome, bye y’all.”

“Bye.”

“See ya.”

On the walk back to Ark Inc. my mind drifted to the party coming up. It would be the end of my second week working for the company but the end of my first full-time week. The idea of meeting some of the other workers and Jaha’s associates didn’t help my nerves, but knowing that I would be there with Wells and Harper made me feel a little better. Though I doubted I would feel that relaxed if Cage came up to me.

My first full day working at Ark Inc. wasn’t that different from the part-time hours I had been working. Answering phones, scheduling appointments, giving people directions, filling out paperwork…it was definitely different than the coffee shop, but it was nice having Harper there too. Even some of the other secretaries were starting to talk to me more, but they weren’t exactly the nicest company.

“So, Clarke, are you going to go to the company event?” One of the girls, Lila, leans back in her chair to look at me from around Harper.

“Uh, yeah, I am.”

“Do you have a date?” Thalia, the girl sitting next to Lila turned to look at me too.

“I’m going with Wells.” I shrugged.

“Wells Jaha?” Lila’s eyebrows arched towards her hairline.

“Someone is trying to get a promotion already.” Thalia mumbled under breath and Lila started laughing.

“What did you just say?”

“Oh, don’t worry, we won’t say anything, it’s just, well,” Thalia and Lila shared a look, “if you want to rise up in this company then you should go after someone who actually has an office.”

“Oh, Thalia, just because you’re sad enough to try and sleep your way to the top doesn’t mean that other’s are.” Harper leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “By the way, how is that going with Emerson? Has he promised you could be his personal secretary yet?”

I had to stifle my laugh at the look on Thalia’s face and Lila looked just as shocked. I knew Harper was a firecracker, but I didn’t think she would say something like that at _work_. Just as Lila opened her mouth to say something else, Thalia’s phone went off and C. Emerson popped up on the screen.

“Oh, you might want to take that. Don’t want to leave the boss waiting.” Harper smirked and Thalia’s face turned red before she turned and got up from her seat. Harper gave her a little wave bye and Lila turned around in her seat to focus on her computer.

“Harper McIntyre, I think I love you.” I whispered and Harper gave me a wolfish grin.

“Sorry babe, you’re hot but I’m taken.” Harper winked and I laughed.

The rest of the work day went by with a lot less excitement but it wasn’t bad for my first full day. When five o’clock came around, Harper and I walked to the parking lot together and then we said our goodbyes. I was going to miss working with Maya, and despite Lila and Thalia, working at Ark Inc. wasn’t going to be as bad as I had thought.

I took my hair out of the bun and ran my fingers through it, sighing at how nice it felt to not have my hair pulled back so tight.  I rolled my windows down and “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” by CCR filtered through my speakers as I drove home. There’s always been something about driving alone at the end of the day with the wind in your hair and music playing that makes it seem like time stops.

When I pulled into my driveway, I took a second to look at my house. It wasn’t bad for something I bought right out of high school and it was right off campus, but it definitely needed a facelift. _If only_. I sighed and turned my car off before grabbing my purse and heading up the stairs. I checked my mailbox, _bills, junk mail, flyers_ , I groaned then pushed into my house. I was still sifting through the mail and didn’t bother looking at where I was throwing my purse, since I already knew where my recliner was, but my purse slamming into the floor made me stop.

I turned to look at my living room and dropped my mail. The old, raggedy recliner was gone, as was my couch, and every other piece of furniture I had had in my house that morning and it was all replaced with new pieces. The couch was charcoal, there was a white rug on the floor, white curtains over the windows, and a matching coffee and end table. The big desk that had stood in the corner of the room was gone too and now had a tv stand with an actual tv on top of it. _What the fuck._

I slowly turned and look towards the dining room. My crappy blue table was gone and an actual table without peeling paint was in its place with four chairs around it. There was still room to move around it too, which I thought was nearly impossible given how small my dining room was.

I picked up the mail and my purse and was about to sprint towards my room when I saw something laying on the coffee table. _Another note?_ I walked towards the table and stared at the little white envelope. _Well, it’s not going to open itself._ I took a deep breath and opened it. It’s the same swirly handwriting from the first note.

_Another gift.  
Clearly you needed it_

“Clearly.” I grumbled. The mysterious person who had given me five hundred dollars also had access to my house, gave me new furniture, and was now kind of insulting me. Sure, my furniture was terrible but they didn’t have to point out how badly I needed it replaced. _I should really change my locks_.

I put the card back into the envelope and decided to go to my room. _Please don’t be different._ I flipped on my lights and let out a sigh of relief at the fact that it seemed like my bedroom hadn’t been changed. I threw my purse onto my bed along with the mail then threw myself onto it too. _I need a drink_.

Pushing myself off my bed, I started shedding my clothes as I walked to my bathroom. The fact that someone broke into my house and had a bunch of furniture delivered creeped me out to no end. _Yeah, definitely need to change my locks_. I turned on the light in the bathroom and stopped. So, not only had they decided to give my living room and dining room a makeover, but they worked on my bathroom too.

There were new rugs on the floor, a decorative covering for the shower curtain, really soft towels hanging from the rack…a lot better than what I could’ve done with my little money. I moved towards the toilet, half expecting the water to be blue, but it wasn’t. _Huh._

My kitchen was still the same though and I was actually kind of disappointed that they hadn’t restocked my fridge while they were at it. But, well, I couldn’t exactly just say _no thanks_ to the new furniture and have it removed because then I wouldn’t have anything. After a minute of debating whether or not I should tell Wells, I decided I could probably use his help with changing my locks.

“You never call me on a Monday night so I can only imagine that you need my help.” I could practically hear the smirk in Wells’ voice.

“Is there anyway you could come over? I have something to show you.”

“You want me to _come over?_ I just laid in bed.”

“We can get sushi and you can crash here tonight but I _really_ need you to come over.” Wells was silent for a moment. “Pleeaasseeee.”

“Okay, fine.” Wells grumbled and I could hear his bed squeak as he got off of it. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Perfect, I’ll order the food.”

“This better be a good reason for me coming over.”

“Oh, it is.”

Wells snorted. “See you in a minute.”

“Bye.”

I quickly placed the carryout order at the sushi place down the street and did my best to calm my nerves. I hadn’t told Wells about the money, but there wasn’t going to be any way I could’ve explained the furniture without telling him everything. I had enough time to run down to the restaurant and grab the food before Wells got back, and I had just set the bags down when the front door opened.

“Alright, now what was so—holy shit.” I peeked over at Wells from the kitchen and he was standing slack-jawed in my doorway. I waited for him to say something else but he simply went back outside and shut the door. I cocked my head to the side and walked towards it, wondering what was going on, when he opened it again. “Nope, definitely have the right house.”

“Yeah, which is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“How did you have the money for this? That couch looks more expensive than some of the apartments around here.”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t what?”

“I don’t have the money for this,” I motioned towards my living and dining room. “It was here when I came home this afternoon.”

“Wait. Back up. This was just _here_ when you got home?”

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t call anybody?”

“I called you!”

“But that’s not—” Wells took a deep breath. “Do you know who could’ve done this?”

“Nope. But, this isn’t the first time.” Wells narrowed his eyes at me. “Alright, sushi and story time.” I motioned towards the kitchen and after a second, he followed me. _This is going to be fun_.

Wells was silent as we got our food and went to sit at the new dining table. Usually, if we were at his house, we would sit on the couch and watch TV but considering that the couch was new and the rug was white, I didn’t want to take that chance.

“So, time to explain.” Wells mumbled around a piece of his roll.

“Remember when I lost my wallet?” Wells nodded his head. “Well, it showed up in my mailbox along with an extra five hundred dollars in cash.”

“ _What?_ ” Wells’ eyebrows shot up. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because—” I broke off. It wasn’t like Wells and his father hadn’t offered to help me on multiple occasions, and there was the fact of getting me the interview. “Because I really needed the money and I knew if I had told you then you would’ve brought it to your dad.” I forced myself to look at him. “I only had fifty dollars in my wallet for emergencies and just enough money in my bank account to cover my bills that were coming out in a few days. I had half a carton of orange juice in my fridge and very questionable lasagna.”

“Clarke,” Wells put down his chopsticks and pushed his food away, leaning on the table, “you could have asked me to help you.”

“I’m not some charity case, Wells!” My voice rose without me wanting it to and I could feel tears sting my eyes. “It was enough you got me the interview at Arkadian without having to ask you for money too. I bought groceries and I was able to get my work clothes altered, and the money was nice while it lasted but it’s gone now. I can’t run to you or Thelonious every time I’m struggling to get by.”

“Your parents wouldn’t have wanted this for you.” Wells reached out and took my hand. “There was a reason why your parents made my dad your god-father, Clarke, and it’s to take care of you and watch out for you now that they’re gone, but you won’t let him do anything for you. How can you not accept his help but accept stuff from a complete stranger?”

“Because that’s just it, they’re a stranger!”

“They’re a stranger whose _broken into your house,_ Clarke! You seriously can’t be okay with that!”

“I’m not!” I took a deep breath then looked around the living room. “I was actually going to ask if you could help me change my locks.”

Wells was silent for a moment before he sighed. “Fine.”

“What?” I turned around to look at him. _Did he just agree?_

“I’ll help you.”

“But?”

“ _But_ , I want to get a security system installed in your house.” Wells held my gaze and I knew there would be no point in fighting him.

“ _Fine_ ,” I groaned. “But you can’t tell your dad about any of this.” I pointed my chopsticks at him and held up his hands.

“Not a word but, uh,” he nodded towards the living room, “what are you going to tell people about the furniture?”

I shrugged. “Tell them I took out a loan or something.”

“Anyone who knows you knows you hate the idea of debt like that.”

“Desperate times, desperate measures.” I grumbled.

“Clarke Griffin, you will be the death of me.” Wells ran his hands over his face and I smirked.

“But it’ll be the best damn life ever.”

A reluctant laugh fell from his lips before he looked up at me. “Damn straight.”

 

* * *

 

After running into Clarke at the coffee shop, Kane did his best to keep me from having to ever watch Clarke unless it was absolutely necessary. Except, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t choose to check in on her from time to time. According to Harper, Clarke had been excited when she got to work the day after her new furniture had arrived, but Murphy had come back saying that she called Wells over and when he left, he didn’t seem too happy. Which is probably why there was a home security truck parked in her driveway Thursday evening.

I was set up across the street from her house again but instead of being in the air b&b house, I was in their backyard watching and listening from behind a wooden fence. Creepy, yeah, but it’s not like I could just walk up to her and start having a conversation. _But you want to_. I watched as the security woman installed a doorbell then installed something just inside her door.

“So, with the app you can arm and disarm it, as well as watch a live feed of what’s going on in front of your house.” The security lady’s voice carried across the road and I found myself thinking that it would probably be better to not discuss a new security system out in the open where anyone could be listening. _Like me_.

“Okay, thank you so much.” Clarke smiled and shook the other lady’s hand then the lady handed her a stack of papers.

“Pleasure’s all mine, Ms. Griffin, thank you for choosing us for your home protection needs. Have a good day.”

“You too.”

I watched as the security worker drove off and Clarke stood outside on her porch, looking at her new doorbell. She reached up and pressed the button, a loud chime ringing out. As she reached for her doorknob, a car that I had become familiar with over the past couple of weeks pulled into her driveway and Wells Jaha stepped out of it.

“So, it’s set up? It’s armed and works? Did they explain everything to you?”

“Yes, _mom_. With this and the new locks, you’ll be able to sleep like a baby knowing that I am perfectly safe in my own home.”

My eyebrows furrowed together but it didn’t take me long to realize that it had been Wells who pushed for her to get a security system. _She should’ve had one sooner._ I watched as Clarke ran through everything having to deal with the doorbell and something on her phone before they both went into her house. Having an alarm system could potentially lead to a little more work on our part, but it’s nothing Monty wouldn’t be able to handle.

“You’re being creepy, Bell.” Octavia’s voice causes me to tear my focus away from Clarke’s house as she pushes through the back gate. “If anyone were to see you they’d call the cops for stalking.” Octavia smirked before taking the seat across from me and propping her feet up on the table.

“What’re you doing here?” I leaned back in my chair and stretched.

“I’m supposed to be at Clarke’s in ten minutes so I can make sure her dress is altered correctly before the work event Saturday night.”

“I thought you did the alterations Tuesday?”

“No, I brought the dress over to _see_ what alterations it needed, then I did them yesterday, now we have to see if it’s fine now. Jesus, Bell, I thought you would remember that this is a multi-step process.” Octavia rolled her eyes.

“That was always you and mom’s specialty, O, remember? I wasn’t around much for that.”

“Yeah, I remember. You and you’re illegal fight clubs and shit.” Octavia nudged my arm with her boot and then I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t you have a dress to hem or something?” I pushed her feet off the table and she grunted before standing up.

“You want to come?”

I looked back at the house and thought about it. I would’ve loved getting to spend more time with Clarke, but I felt like Kane would not have approved of that. The closer I got with her, the bigger the chance of her getting pissed when she found out that we all worked for Kane.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Octavia stared at me for a beat before shrugging. “Fine, suit yourself. Maybe you could’ve been her date Saturday night.”

“O—”

Octavia held up her hands then started back up towards the gate. “Harper said that she got some shit Monday for saying she’s going with Wells, so I was thinking she might’ve liked having a real date.”

“What do you mean?” I sat up in my chair a little straighter and looked at Octavia.

“Accused her of sleeping her way to the top.” Octavia wrinkled her nose. “What makes it better is that the girl who accused her was Thalia.”

“Thalia? The girl who’s sleeping with Emerson?” _That’s rich, coming from her_.

“Yep.” Octavia popped the ‘p’ then smiled. “Harper told her off though.”

“Of course she did.” I smirked.

“But she said that it seemed like Clarke still felt kind of uncomfortable with it, though nothing is going on between her and Wells she didn’t like the fact that someone accused her that.”

_That_ didn’t help the fact that I did want to go with her, but I remembered that Cage would be there and I was supposed to be keeping a low profile when it came to him.

“I would if I could, but you know I can’t.” I gave her a pointed look and she sighed.

“Fine. But you can’t say I didn’t try. See you at home.” With a wave, she was gone.

I heard a car door slam and then saw Octavia walking across the street with the dress draped across one of her arms as she made her way to Clarke’s front door. She rang the doorbell and Clarke answered, smiling before pulling Octavia in for a hug and motioning for her to come in.

With Octavia there, I knew that there was no reason for me to stay. _She’s right, it is kind of creepy_. So, I gathered up my papers then made my way towards my truck. If anything, I had to tell Kane about the new security system and let him figure out what to do about that. As I made my way home, the thought of those girls treating Clarke like that made my blood start to boil. This was her first full week working there, they barely knew her, and then they were making assumptions like that?

As I pulled into the driveway, the front door of the house opened and Raven stormed out of it. I assumed she had something going on with a project at school, so I was surprised when she climbed into my truck.

“Get me out of here.” Raven huffed as she pulled on her seatbelt and I turned to look at her. “What the fuck are you looking at, Blake? Drive!”

“Why don’t you calm down and tell me what the hell is going on.” I turned around and started backing out of the driveway and when I turned back, Finn was running out of the house too. “What happened?”

“Get me a drink and maybe I’ll tell you.” Raven’s voice broke and I chanced a glance at her.

I had confronted Finn about the Griffin Tuesday morning after Raven had left for her shift at Sinclair’s, and he denied it being him who left it, and about him wanting to ask Clarke out, but that didn’t change the fact that he was going to hurt Raven. I told Harper and Octavia about it, and while neither of them seemed like they wanted to bring it up to Raven, especially without any proof other than the metal griffin, they were angry that Finn was being such a douche about it.

We drove until I pulled up to TonDC, the last place anyone would’ve expected to look for us since no one really goes there unless there’s a concert. The inside of the bar was pretty bare, but instead of the cleared floor they usually had for concerts they had tables set up and there were people doing karaoke up on the stage. Raven walked to one of the tables in the corners and threw herself into it while I ordered a couple of shots. While I was waiting, my phone went off and I pulled it out of my pocket. A text from Octavia.

_Harper confronted Finn about Clarke and Raven walked in on them. She wasn’t supposed to be home yet.  
Harper also said that she saw y’all leave, what are you going to tell her?_

I stared at the messages before running my hand through my hair. _Fuck. What am I going to tell her?_

_The truth_

I didn’t wait for Octavia to reply, instead I shoved the phone back in my pocket and grabbed the shots before making my way back to Raven. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were puffy, but instead of looking sad, she looked murderous.

“Bottoms up.” I passed her two shots and she downed them back to back.

“You knew.” It wasn’t a question, but I answered it like it was.

“Yeah, I did.”

“And you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t actually hear him flirt with her, I just read her body language.”

“You knew _enough_.”

“Raven—”

“And then I find out that Harper and Octavia knew too? And none of you told me? I thought we were supposed to be a family!” Raven slammed her hands down on the table and I could see her eyes begin to shine again. “But now I know that’s a bunch of bullshit.” She reached across the table and grabbed my second shot.

“We wanted him to tell you himself. You don’t deserve to be treated like that, Raven, and you know you’re too good for him.” I leaned my elbows on the table and she looked at me. “You’re still our family.”

She kept looking at me as her hand traveled up to the metal raven that hung around her neck. “I thought he was my family too.”

“Hey, who needs him when you have us?” I gave her a small smile and she snorted.

“But he’s been there my entire life, Bellamy.” When she brought her eyes up to mine, she looked broken. “And I don’t have him anymore.”

When she started to cry again I got up and moved to the seat next to her, pulling her into my side. She buried her head in my shoulder and the bartender brought another four shots to the table murmuring that it was on the house. I couldn’t save Raven from getting hurt by Finn before, but I was sure as hell not going to let him hurt her anymore. I was never good at comforting people, and trying to comfort a girl after she gets her heart broken is not something I could ever manage to do, even with Octavia, but I couldn’t exactly leave.

When Raven calmed down a little and went to use the bathroom I texted everyone, except Finn who I removed from the group chat, and told them all to come down to the bar. When everyone filed in, Raven looked surprised to see everyone, and even though Harper looked worried about how Raven would react, she sagged in relief when Raven pulled her in for a hug. Everyone was there to show her that they cared, and talk about how much they never liked Finn to begin with. Octavia showed up a little while later and while I wanted to ask her how her time at Clarke’s went, I didn’t dare bring up the other girl in front of Raven.

_She’ll be alright. We’re always alright._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raven was going to have to find out sooner or later, thank god she found out before Finn can do something else that's insanely stupid.  
> I'm hoping to get back into scheduled updates so it shouldn't be another three weeks before the next chapter is posted!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	10. Time to party, again...sort of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Arkadian Inc. company party is here and Clarke is bored out of her mind.
> 
> Please check the tags!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took me longer to get up than I originally expected!
> 
> And I'm also sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes!

The day of the work event, Harper insisted that the two of us get ready at my house and then her boyfriend would drive us to the venue and I could just meet Wells there. Which all worked out in the end because Wells would have to be at the event long before anyone else because his father always insisted on it.

Harper took my vanity and I climbed on the counter in my bathroom with my makeup bag resting my lap. I had taken to turning the AC temperature down so there would be no possible way for us to start sweating while we got ready; we really needed to avoid ruining our makeup before we even left the house. There was a lot of walking back and forth between my bathroom and my bedroom too, since Harper had better eyeshadow options and my eyeliners were better than hers. And a lot of topping off our drinks we decided to have which we figured we might regret later but, oh well.

In the end, Octavia’s dress blew me away. It was a high-low, dark blue satin with a v-neckline, and it had lace hanging around the edges. Even though Octavia and I weren’t the same size, we were the same height so that helped with the dress just barely grazing the floor. I had been worried about the material not allowing for any alterations, but Octavia seemed to have worked magic. Harper sat me down and decided that she was going to put slight waves in my hair and I’m glad I took her advice on keeping my makeup more on the natural side.

Harper on the other hand, well, she looked absolutely stunning in the deep-plunging, sparkling champagne dress that she bought. She had already put waves in her hair and went for makeup that was slightly more dramatic than mine, and she looked amazing. She looked like she had just stepped out of a movie. When she finished with my hair, we both took a moment to look at ourselves in the mirror.

“You are a knockout.” Harper grinned at me as she took in my final look.

“And you are going to give Monty a heart attack when he sees you.” I smiled back at her and she laughed.

“I hope not, I like having him around.” Before I could respond my doorbell rang. “Oh, there he is!”

Harper skipped towards my door with her heels in her hands then flung it open. Her boyfriend, Monty, stood on the other side looking slightly nervous, like he was a teenager picking his date up for the dance. It was adorable. Harper threw her arms around him and he smiled, kissing her on the cheek before turning to look at me. Harper had shown her a few pictures of her and Monty and she had thought they looked good together, now seeing them in person she realized just _how_ good they looked. _Really, their kids are going to be gorgeous._

“Hi, I’m Monty.” Monty held out his hand and I stepped forward to shake it.

“Clarke. Harper’s told me a lot about you.” I smiled and Monty gave me a shy smile, and I could see a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks.

“Oh, don’t look like that, Monty, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t dote on my boyfriend?” Harper leaned towards Monty and smiled which only made him blush more.

“She also told me about the green initiative that y’all want to do. Maybe on the way to Lafitte’s you two could tell me more about it.”

“Yeah, I’d love to.” Monty seemed to relax as we all shuffled out of my house and I made sure to turn on my new alarm system before piling into Monty’s silver mustang GT. _Seriously, what is with these people and this amazing cars?_

The back seat was small, but since I was the only one sitting back there I was able to stretch out across it. Harper and Monty talked in the front seat about how they wanted to bring more awareness to the damage that’s being done to the planet, and Monty went on a long talk about how much of the park had to be taken away for a new restaurant despite the fact that downtown barely had enough trees and grass as it was. The points they made were really thought out and it was clear that they were passionate about it. When we got to Lafitte’s, a valet came out and took Monty’s keys and I could already feel my dress and my hair starting to stick to my body due to the humidity. Wells met us at the front door and introductions were made then all four of us made our way into the building. I was expecting a blast of cold air as soon as we got into the lobby, but that didn’t happen.

Everyone from the office and their mothers seemed to be at this work event. I had my fair share of events like this growing up between my parents and Wells dragging me to his father’s political events, so at least having Wells with me just made this like any other event. But there were more people than I expected.

“A lot of the wealthier clients got invitations, and some of my dad’s old political friends.” Wells leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“Seems like a lot for a company event.” I grumbled.

“Come on, Griffin, you’re supposed to be mingling tonight and meeting more of the people who work at the company.” Wells patted my hand that was wrapped around his arm. “Drink time.”

“Oh, thank god.” I let Wells guide me towards the open bar and he ordered us both drinks. I didn’t pay much attention to the bartenders at first but when they set the drinks down on the bar, both of them looked familiar. “Hey, you work at The Ark.” I said to one before turning to the other. “And you gave me a ride home when I was drunk off my ass that night at TonDC. Did I ever thank you for that?”

Both of the bartenders looked at me, stunned, but they both recovered fairly quickly.

“Yeah, you did, but you’re welcome.” I squinted as his name tag. _Murphy_. “This is Miller,” he points to the guy beside him, “we both work at The Ark.”

A moment flashed in my head. “Oh yeah, you gave me water the last time I was there.”

“Jesus, do you have like a photographic memory or something?” Miller gives me a slight smile and I take a sip of my drink.

“I remember a lot of things.”

“Except where you put your keys and your wallet like ninety percent of the time.” Wells teases and I elbow him in the side.

“Not everyone is perfect, Jaha.”

“Miller, can I have a drink?” One of the waiters came up and leaned against the edge of the bar. “I’m bored out of my mind.” He had shaggy brown hair and looked like he was being swallowed by his waiter outfit.

“I’ll drink to that.” I raised my glass to the waiter and Wells turned to look at me.

“You drank before you came here, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.” I said as I took another sip of my drink.

Wells snorted and shook his head but I could see him trying not to laugh.

“I like you.” The waiter smiled at me before turning back to Miller. “I like her.”

“I’m Clarke.” I reached around Wells and held my hand out, which he shook.

“Jasper. These two idiots are my roommates.” He points a thumb at the two bartenders who send him a dirty look. _Was he not supposed to tell me that?_

“Mr. Jordan,” Jaha appeared out of thin air and caused nearly everyone to jump. “I believe we have some hungry guests.” I watched as Jasper gulped then nodded and disappeared back into the crowd.

“Oh, Jaha, did you have to scare the poor boy?” I smiled at Jaha who turned and smiled at me.

“That wasn’t my intention. But you look beautiful tonight.” Jaha gave me a hug.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, dad, I think Emerson is trying to get your attention.” Wells nods to someone behind his father and Jaha sighs and rolls his eyes which makes me smile.

“I’ll see you two later, and, Clarke, I expect a dance before you leave.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Jaha nodded at all of us then turned and intercepted Emerson before he could reach me or Wells.

“So, how do you know the Jaha’s so well?” It’s Murphy who asked and Miller hit him upside the head. “What?”

“Old family friend.” I smiled at Wells. “He’s like the big brother I never asked for.”

“Hey, I’m hurt by that.”

“Poor Wells.” I pouted a little and patted Wells on the arm but he swatted me away.

“God, you’re a pain in the ass.”

“But you love me.” I grinned up at him and he smiled and shook his head.

“Unfortunately.”

“There you are!” Harper’s voice broke through the chatter of people and I turned to see her and Monty making their way towards the bar. “Miller, two doubles, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Miller began pouring Harper and Monty drinks and I raised my eyebrows.

“You know each other too?”

Harper’s eyebrows knit together. “Yeah, what—”

“Jasper stopped by.” Murphy chimed in, not looking up from his phone.

“Oh, where did he go? I have something for him.” Monty started scanning the crowd and Murphy just waved his arm in the general direction of where Jasper had gone. With a kiss to Harper’s cheek, Monty disappeared too.

“So, h—”

“Clarke!” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I hadn’t even been at this party for twenty minutes and Cage had already found me. I could feel Harper squeeze my hand briefly and I was grateful that someone there knew how much Cage set me on edge. “I was wondering when I was going to bump into you tonight.”

 _Yeah, because you totally weren’t looking for me_. Cage was wearing a black tux and a dark blue tie, and I hated admitting that it nearly matched my dress. He had a crystal glass in his hands, far better than the glasses that were getting handed out from the bar, and what looked like a family crest ring tapping against it. He would’ve been attractive if it didn’t look like his face was turned in a constant sneer.

“Cage, good evening.” I didn’t bother straightening my posture and stayed propped up on the bar. I could practically hear my mother reprimanding me in my head, but I knew that if I straightened then it would seem like I was interested. Which I wasn’t. However, when Wells moved to rest his arm on the bar he nudged mine over and practically forced me to straighten. When I shot him a glare, he just gave me a look that screamed _play nice_. I suppressed a groan. “You look very handsome tonight.”

“And you, my dear, look ravishing.” He reached out and took my free hand, bringing it up and kissing the back of it. “Would you care to take a walk with me?”

 _No._ “Sure.” I smiled politely at him before turning to place my glass on the bar and mouthed _fill it up_ to Murphy who smirked.

Cage took my hand and wrapped it around his arm, leading me away from my friends. I turned back to look at them and Miller and Murphy seemed as worried as Harper did, and Wells looked like he was trying not to glare. _Weird._

Cage and I walked in silence around the edge of the crowd for a bit before he glanced down at me. I didn’t know if it was because he expected me to break the silence first or if he was just trying to get a look at my boobs. Either way, I just kept looking straight ahead.

“So, how was your first full week working at Arkadian?”

“It was fine.”

“Just fine?” Cage turned to look at me with his eyebrows raised.

“It was good.” I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s a lot better than the barista job I had been working.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” He smiles and we keep walking. “Do you think you’ll stay?”

“Where? At Ark Inc.?”

“Were else?”

“I’ll probably stay until I finish my undergrad in a year, then I’ll probably have to leave.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m planning to go to medical school. I won’t have time for another job.”

“Beautiful and intelligent. You are quite the woman.” Despite myself, I blushed. “Do you want to dance?”

“Uh—”

“Please?”

Looking up at him, I didn’t feel the uneasiness I usually felt. _Maybe I did judge too quickly_. “Sure.”

He gave me a wolfish grin before he pulled into the center of the dance floor. _Or maybe I didn’t_. I rested my hand on his shoulder while he placed his respectfully on my waist, and then we joined our other hands together. The song that was on was slow, but it soon ended and then Cage pulled me into the waltz. I hadn’t danced in _years_ and was surprised when I didn’t fall flat on my face.

“You’re a very good dancer, Clarke.”

“I had a very good teacher growing up.” The memory of me dancing on my dad’s feet popped into my head and I smiled. My chest tightened as well but I tried to breathe through it. _In. Out. In. Out_. Before long, the song is over and Cage is looking down at me.

“Best dance I’ve had in a while.”

“Oh, um…” I trailed off and try to scan the crowd to look for Wells but I’m met with Lorelei Tsing’s murderous glare.

“Clarke?”

“I think someone’s upset.” I turn back to look at him and his eyebrows furrow together. “Your secretary doesn’t look too happy.”

“Yeah, she wouldn’t be.” Cage squares his shoulders then takes a step back, bringing the hand he had been holding to his lips and kissing it. “Thank you for the dance, Ms. Griffin.”

My voice gets caught in my throat so I only nodded my head before making a line towards the bar, hyper aware of everyone staring at me. Cage had been…a perfect gentleman, actually. He’s never actually done anything to make me dislike him, but I don’t like him anyways. _What’s up with that?_ I got through the crowd and practically barreled into the bar, and when Murphy saw me he set a fresh drink out for me. _Dr. Pepper and bourbon. My favorite._

“Wells told me what you preferred to drink.” Murphy said, seemingly reading my thoughts.

“Where did he go?”

“His father came to get him to go talk to someone.” Murphy shrugged.

“Where’s Harper and Monty?”

“Over there.” Miller pointed towards the dancefloor and I saw Harper resting her head on Monty’s shoulder while they swayed.

“Oh my god, they’re adorable.”

“I know right? That’s my best friend.” Jasper popped out of thin air and leaned against the bar. He had a certain smell to him, like skunk and sage, and when I looked at his eyes, I realized he was high. “What?” He seemed to notice me looking at him because he turned towards me, his eyebrows raised.

“You’re high.” I whispered and he smiled.

“That obvious?”

“Dude, I can smell you all the way over here.” Miller grumbled from where he was wiping out a glass.

“I’d give anything to be high right now. Or drunk. But I don’t really want to get drunk after what happened last week. I’m still recovering from that.” I groaned and propped my head in my hand. I hadn’t smoked since high school, and I didn’t remember if I liked it or not, but it seemed really appealing then.

“I still have some if you want to try it.”

“Wait, what?” I looked at Jasper and he patted his pocket.

“First smoke’s free.”

“I’d love to.”

“Awesome.” He turned towards Miller and Murphy. “We’ll be back in like, ten, if anyone asks, I’m in the bathroom.”

Jasper started towards the doors that led towards the back of the building and I followed, but not before I saw the looks that Murphy and Miller gave each other. Yeah, getting high in the same building as a bunch of lawyers, politicians, and probably police officers, wasn’t the best idea but, everything was just so boring. _Terrible mindset to have_ , I reminded myself _, but it’ll make the night more fun_.

Jasper led me outside to where the dumpsters were and immediately took a joint out of his pocket and lit it. He took a couple of puffs then passed it to me. I hesitated.

“If you change your mind, it’s cool.” He reassured me. I looked between him and the joint before taking it out of his hands. “Do you know how?”

“Yeah, deep inhale into the lungs, hold it, let it go.”

“See? You’re already a natural.” Jasper smiled and I felt myself relax a little.

 _Well, here goes nothing_. I put the joint to my lips and inhaled. The smoke stung at first, but it wasn’t terrible; it was like I could feel it filling my lungs. I held it for a second before exhaling it then took another hit. _Puff, puff, pass._ As soon as I finished drawing from it, I handed it back to Jasper.

“No coughing. Do you do this a lot?” He asked before he took his own hit. I shook my head and exhaled.

“No, the last time I smoked I think it was like four years ago. I was sixteen.”

“Then, like I said, you’re already a natural.”

I expected smoking with a stranger in the back of an alley would’ve been more awkward than it actually was. Jasper was good at keeping a conversation going and he didn’t try to force the joint on me when I waved it away a few times. He told me that he and Monty have been friends for as long as he could remember, and they both moved to the city a few years ago. I asked him if he was in school and if so what he was going to college for and he told me he was going for chemical engineering.

“Really? You like chemistry?”

“Love chemistry.” He smiles. “And I can apply that knowledge to other things.”

“Like making moonshine?” I guessed and he seemed surprised.

“How did you know about that?”

“Octavia told me.”

“Oh yeah. You could try the moonshine if you want. Monty and I haven’t completely mastered the recipe but I think we’re getting there.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Cool. I’ve never had moonshine before.”

“Awesome.” Jasper smiles then hands me the joint.

We stand out there for a few more minutes until we’ve smoked the joint down to a roach and Jasper snuffs it out before putting it in his pocket. He also handed me a bottle of eyedrops and told me to put them in before we headed back in. _I probably smell like pot now_. We make our way back into the building and slip into the room where everyone is unseen. When I walked up to where Harper was standing, she turned to me, sniffed the air, then reached into her clutch and pulled out a small bottle of perfume and started spraying me with it.

“Won’t it be more suspicious if I smell strongly of perfume?”

“Not if you avoid people and air out for a bit.” Harper smiles and when I look at her, her eyelids are low.

“You’re high too, aren’t you?” I grinned and she laughed.

“Yep. We both are.” She looked over at Monty who had a content smile on his face. “These things are just so _dull_.”

“Tell me about it.”

“But at least we don’t have to be alone in it.” Harper smiles and I link my arm with hers.

“No, we don’t.”

The rest of the night goes by in a blur and before long I felt like I was going to fall asleep standing up. After two hours of being there, Harper and Monty left since Wells said that he would give me a ride back, and I was left alone. Harper had been keeping me company until she left, and I expected Wells to come hangout with me but he kept getting pulled away to go talk to people. I stayed by the bar for a bit but as the night went on it seemed like everyone wanted more and more drinks.

 _Ugh_. I made my way over to a vacant table and propped my head in my hands. _If I can wait for Wells to come check in with me, then I could probably convince him to bring me home and he’d still have enough time to come back_. I was beginning to doze off when a chair scraped across the floor at my table. I opened my eyes and across from me sat Carl Emerson.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” He was wearing a black suit similar to Cage’s and his own family crest ring. _How do they actually have family crest rings?_

“I just started working at Arkadian full-time on Monday.” I gave him a small smile. He was one of the people I was supposed to be introduced to tonight, but after Wells realized I was high he told me I should wait.

“Really? That’s great. How are you liking the company so far?”

“It’s good, I’ve enjoyed meeting the other workers and I’m looking forward to working there.”

“What do you do at the company?”

“I’m a new secretary.”

“Oh, wonderful.” He smiled and it made my stomach clench. Cage gave me a bad feeling, but this guy terrified me. _What is it with these people?_ We sat there in silence for a little bit and I tried to subtly scan the crowd for Wells, but I couldn’t find him. “I don’t mean to be so up front, but would you like to dance with me?”

 _No._ Alarms went off in my head and I glanced from him to the crowd of people that was starting to dissipate. _I could say no. But then I might get written off as a bitch. But is that really a bad thing? Play nice_. Wells’ voice echoed in my head and I gulped.

“Sure. Okay.” I nodded my head slightly and Emerson stood, holding his hand out. His hand was clammy and he held onto my hand a little too tight for comfort as he walked me towards the floor.

He pulled me in closer than Cage had and I could smell just how much Emerson had had to drink. _A lot._ He wasn’t as graceful as Cage, or Wells, but I blamed it on the alcohol. He didn’t say anything as we danced, but his hand did seem to move further down, to my lower back, and he moved me closer to him.

“You smell like you’ve been doing something illegal.” His mouth was close to my ear and I pulled back from him.

“Do I?” I tried to put some distance between us, but he kept me where I was.

“You know you do.” I gulped. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to get you arrested for it.” He gave me a sly smile that made me feel sick. “But, since I’m keeping a secret of yours, would you keep a secret of mine?”

My stomach sank and I tried to pull back again but the hand he was resting on my back slipped lower. He leaned in and I couldn’t focus on anything other than my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. Sweat was forming on the back of my neck and my chest and I could feel how hot my cheeks were.

“May I cut in?” Thelonious Jaha’s voice caused Emerson to back away from me slightly and I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding.

“Of course, sir.” Emerson smiled at him then turned towards me and gave me a slight bow. I was shaking when Jaha stepped in front of my and took one of my hands as I placed my other on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” I looked up at Jaha and felt myself shake.

“Emerson is a piece of work.”

“Yes, he is.” Jaha sighed. “I’ve tried to find reasons to fire him multiple times but none of them ever work out.”

“Couldn’t you fire him for fraternization or something? He’s screwing the other secretary, Thalia.”

“How do you know this?” Jaha looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed together.

“You know the expression ‘the maids know everything’? Well, the secretaries know everything.”

Jaha chuckled then spinned me around and I yawned. “You should go home and get some sleep, Clarke.”

“I would if I could ever find your son.” I grumbled and Jaha laughed again.

“He’s around here somewhere.” The song ended and Jaha gave me a hug. “Why don’t you go get some air and I’ll send him out to you?”

“Perfect, thanks Uncle Theo.”

“And, Clarke?”

“Hm?”

“Smoke _after_ next time.”

I blushed. “Yes, sir.”

I waved by to Miller and Murphy and saluted Jasper before heading outside and, sure enough, Wells showed up not even five minutes later with a look on his face that said _really? You sent my dad after me?_ I only grinned and he shook his head before getting his keys from the valet.

I passed out before I got to my house and Wells carried me inside, handed me some pajamas, and a bottle of water before leaving. I didn’t tell Wells what happened between me and Emerson, and anytime I thought about what happened it just pissed me off because Jaha didn’t do anything about it. Of course, Emerson hadn’t actually touched my ass, though he was about to.

I took off my dress then walked to the bathroom in just my underwear and washed off my makeup. The high I had been feeling was great, but now it just left me tired and the drinking I had done on top of it hadn’t helped. When I was satisfied with the amount of makeup I had taken off, I took off my bra and just put on the shirt that Wells had found for me then crawled into bed. I picked up the water bottle and drank some of it before putting the lid back on.

That night, I fell into a deep and dark sleep with no dreams whatsoever. I was too far gone to have the energy for that apparently. Which was fine by me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Cage isn't THAT bad, and Clarke just met the rest of the delinquents, except Raven. But I have a feeling that interaction isn't going to be pretty.
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	11. It's not a date...nope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke sleeps the entire day and her friends end up sending someone to check on her
> 
> I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes!

When I woke up the next morning, it was to a big puddle of drool and the worst taste in my mouth ever. _I forgot to brush my teeth last night_. I groaned and buried my head back into my pillow. I didn’t try to get up which is what led to me falling back sleep. The best thing about weekends, is that time isn’t a thing until you have to go back to work. Which is why I didn’t wake up until late, Sunday afternoon.

The second time when I woke up, I felt like I could actually wake up and be semi-productive before having to go back to sleep again. I rolled onto my back and stared up at my ceiling. Despite having turned my AC down the night before, I still sweat underneath my covers and I pushed them back. _Teeth. Shower. Food._ I groaned and rolled out of bed, trying to ignore the pounding in my head. With a glance at the water bottle on my nightstand, I picked it up and brought it with me.

I was pretty sure that after sleeping over twelve hours I was going to feel rested, but instead I just felt sluggish. I scrubbed at my teeth and my tongue for at least five minutes before deciding that my mouth was sufficiently clean and then I downed my water bottle before getting into the shower. I relished in how clean I felt after and didn’t feel like a zombie anymore.

After I changed into some lounge clothes, I padded my way into my kitchen and looked at the clock on the microwave. 5 _:37_. I grabbed another bottle of water then opened my fridge, trying to find something to eat but the realization that I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in two weeks set in.

“Maybe—” I was cut off by a knock at my door and I froze. They knocked again and I walked over to my new security system and pulled up the camera. Octavia’s brother, Bellamy, was standing on my porch. _What the fuck?_ _Oh my god, Octavia._

I disarmed the security and threw open the door, causing him to jump. “Is Octavia okay?”

He stared at me for a second, before he recovered. “What? Yeah, O is fine. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here?” I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame. “I don’t remember giving you my address.” I looked him up and down and my mouth went dry so I forced myself to look back at his face before he noticed. He was wearing a tight black shirt and dark wash jeans that hugged his hips in just the right way. _God, the Blake genes are fucking amazing._

“Yeah, about that,” he gave me a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck. “Long story short: Harper got worried when you didn’t text her back so she sent me over here to check on you since O and Monty were watching after her and Murphy and Miller had work.”

“Jesus, do you all live together?” My eyebrows shot up towards my hairline. “But I’m sorry you had to come all the way out here, I just haven’t checked my phone yet. I just woke up.”

“You just woke up? It’s nearly six.”

“Thanks, _dad_.” I rolled my eyes but I could see him smirk a little. “I drank last night then I smoked, and—” I yawned, “apparently that took more of a toll on me than anything.” Bellamy folded his arms and nodded. “But I really am sorry about you coming all the way here.”

“No worries, I had a meeting with my advisor earlier anyway.”

“Oh, okay.” We stood there for a second in an awkward silence and then my stomach grumbled.

“Hungry?” Bellamy gives me an amused smile.

“Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to eat yet.” I toed at something on the ground and we stood there in silence for a little bit longer until Bellamy spoke.

“Would you want to go get something to eat?”

“What?” I snapped my head up to look at him.

“Not as a date, but I figured since Harper wanted me to check in on you the least I could do is tell her with certainty that you’ve eaten today.”

 _Not as a date._ “Okay, yeah.” I smiled at him. “I need to change first, do you want to come in?”

I backed away from the doorway and motioned inside. He hesitated for a second before nodding and walking into my house. Even though the door hadn’t been open for long, I could feel that the temperature in my house had risen considerably and I had been thinking about cutting my AC use back a little but, well, that wasn’t happening.

“So, where are we going and how are we getting there? Walking, motorcycle?” I called over my shoulder as I grabbed a bottle of water and offered it to him.

“I was thinking Louie’s. Thank you.” He uncapped the bottle and took a sip.

“So, walking?”

“Yeah,” he nodded then got a sly look on his face. “Unless you want to ride with me on my bike.”

“Um…”

“You’ve never been on a motorcycle before, have you?”

“No,” I chuckled lightly.

“Well, I have an extra helmet that you can wear and we’re just going down the road, but if it makes you feel better we can walk.”

I took a second to look at him. He seemed like he would be an asshole from first look, honestly. But then I remember that Octavia is his sister and if she’s that awesome then they must be _somewhat_ alike. _Right?_

“Okay.” I smiled.

“Okay?”

“I’d like to ride a motorcycle for the first time.”

He grinned. “Okay then.”

I told him to wait in the living room while I changed and I found my phone wrapped up in my covers. There was a text from Wells saying to let him know how I was feeling when I woke up, since he knew I wouldn’t wake up for a while. Then there were at least a dozen texts from Harper, at least one per hour I was asleep, and a handful from Octavia, all a little more frantic than the last. I snorted at Harper’s last text.

 _Since you seem to be either dead or in a coma I’m sending Bellamy to come check on you since I’m sick._  
_He will break into your house if Octavia or I tell him too so you better be up._  
_Love you xx_

I sent Wells a quick text then got in the group chat with Harper and Octavia and told them that I was fine and that Bellamy could assure them that I was not dead or in a coma, and even decided to tell them that we were going to get something to eat. I finished getting ready by throwing my hair into messy braid and pulling on a pair of cut offs and an old black tank top with the Guns N Roses logo on it. When I walked back into the living room, Bellamy was leaning against the wall looking around the room. _No backing out now._

“Ready.” I grabbed my wallet out of my clutch and slipped it into my pocket.

“I like your living room.” Bellamy nodded towards my new furniture.

“Thanks.”

“Mind if I ask where you got the couch?” he asked as he opened my front door and motioned for me to walk out.

“Oh, I actually don’t know. It was a gift.” I mentally chastised myself for not sticking to the loan idea, but I couldn’t take it back now.

Bellamy whistled. “Some gift.”

“Tell me about it.” I chuckled and locked my door.

His bike was parked behind my car and I began to wonder how I hadn’t even heard him pull up. He pulled out the extra helmet and handed it to me, but when I fumbled with the clasp he smirked and swatted my hands away, clipping it for me. Then Bellamy swung his leg over the seat and turned the bike on and motioned for me to get on behind him. I looked at the bike for a second and then swung my leg over and sat there. I knew that riding the motorcycle meant I’d have to be really close to him, but I wasn’t prepared for exactly how close. _He’s just a hot guy, Clarke, pull yourself together._

“You need to hold on!” Bellamy called over the roar of the bike. I looked down and placed my hands on his waist but I could feel him laugh before he reached down and pulled my arms around him tighter. “I don’t need you flying off, I couldn’t exactly explain that one!”

I laughed as he started to back out of the driveway. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do so I just lifted my feet off the ground and let him move the motorcycle. Once he started down the road, I couldn’t help the grin that made it’s way onto my face. Since Louie’s was right down the road, we didn’t have much of a drive, and when he pulled to a stop in the parking lot, I wished we could’ve kept going.

I got off the bike, using Bellamy’s shoulders as something to keep me from falling over, and then he got off too. Unclipping the helmet was easier than putting it on and I handed it back to Bellamy who lifted up the seat and put it back in.

“So, first time riding a motorcycle, how was it?”

“Awesome.” I grinned and he smirked down at me.

“Good.”

He led the way to the door of the diner and I tried to calm my nerves. _Not a date. He’s just really hot_. _But you don’t even know each other and he asked to get food together? …he’s just being nice_. I willed my thoughts away as we stepped into the cool building and a hostess shuffled us to a table immediately. Despite Louie’s being a twenty-four diner, they didn’t get many customers towards the end of the day.

We ordered our drinks but didn’t talk as we looked over the menus. The problem was that I had never actually talked to the guy before aside from that day in my driveway and then when he came into the coffee shop with Octavia. I didn’t know why he talked to me that morning after those guys tried to corner me. Anyone else wouldn’t have said anything. I hadn’t even met Octavia yet.

“So,” I started while skimming through the menu, “what are you studying?”

“History. I actually just finished my first semester of grad school.”

“Oh, that’s great.” I took my eyes off the menu and looked up at him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but—”

“But I don’t seem like the type to go for history?”

“I guess you’ve gotten that a lot, huh?” I gave him a sheepish smile and could feel my face warm up.

“Yeah, a little.” He gave me a titled smile. “What about you? What are you studying?”

“I’m biology pre-med right now, and minoring in art. I have one more year until, hopefully, I’m going to med school.”

“Wow, med school, huh?” Bellamy’s eyebrows arched towards his hairline as he looked at me. “What made you decide on that?”

“Um, it kind of runs in the family.” I gave him a small smile but I could feel my heart contract at the thought of my mom. It seemed like he was going to ask something else when the waitress came to take our orders, and I didn’t miss the way her gaze lingered on him and how she placed her hand on his arm to look at the menu when he pointed to something on it. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

After the waitress left with our orders, and little more sway in her hips, Bellamy focused back on me and rested his elbows on the table. The guy was attractive. _Stupidly_ _attractive._ His curly black hair fell over his forehead and his freckles seemed darker than they had a week ago. Not that I was paying any attention. But my eyes did keep falling to the cut above his top lip and it made me wonder how he got it.

“Have you been in Arkadia long?” Bellamy’s eyes seemed to stare into my soul and I found it difficult to keep looking at him.

“I lived in Oak Point for my entire life but when I graduated high school I moved here so I could be closer to campus.”

“Why not get an apartment? It probably would’ve been cheaper to have roommates.”

I shrugged. “I did some math and getting my own place was cheaper in the long run. What about you? It seems like everyone you’re friends with all live with you, do y’all live in a mansion or something?” I teased but the look on his face told me that I probably wasn’t wrong.

“Wh—”

“Here you go.” The waitress showed up with our food and broke off our conversation.

Both of us had ordered burgers but I had opted against getting fries since I was pretty sure my bank account couldn’t handle it, but Bellamy must’ve noticed me eyeing them because he pushed the plate they were on towards me. I looked up at him and he just pushed them towards me a little more and I smiled before popping one into my mouth.

We talked a little why we ate and I found out why he chose to pursue history and I told him how I loved art. With  how hungry I was, it didn’t take me long to finish off my burger and have to restrain myself from eating too many of his fries. I tried occupy myself while Bellamy finished eating so I pulled out my phone and checked to see if anyone had answered. The group chat with Harper and Octavia seemed to have blown up without me realizing it.

**Party Chat**

**Harper:** Wait, the two of you are going to get food?

 **Octavia:** Did my brother really ask you on a date?!

 **Harper:** I sent him over there to make sure you were alive, not to go on a date!

 **Octavia:** Oh my god

 **Octavia:** I never thought I’d see the day

 **Harper:** Me either

 **Octavia:** We need pictures

 **Harper:** Do you think they’ll get married

 **Octavia:** I’d love for Clarke to me my sister in law!

 **Harper:** If anyone can deal with Bellamy it would be her

I snorted at the texts and Bellamy stopped eating to look at me. I brought my hand up to cover my mouth and tried not to laugh. _This isn’t even a date._ Bellamy raised his eyebrows at me and I just shook my head, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

“Octavia and Harper.”

“Should I be worried?” Bellamy tilted his head to the side and gave me a slight smile.

“Uh…”

Bellamy’s phone went off and he fished it out of his pocket. His eyes narrowed at the screen then he barked out a laugh. “Why is my sister asking me if she can be my maid of honor at our wedding?”

“ _Oh my god_.” I groaned and buried my head in my hands. “I told her and Harper that we were going to get something to eat.” I mumbled and Bellamy chuckled.

“Yeah, leave it to those two to take something and run with it.”

“Right. I even told them that this wasn’t a date and they came back with ‘oh my god, date!’”

“Yeah, that sounds like them.” Bellamy shook his head before grabbing a few more fries. “Are you ready for the check?”

“Yeah, ready when you are.” I reached across the table and took one more fry before Bellamy pushed it towards me again.

He got the waitress’s attention and told her that we’d take the check. He didn’t specify that we would be paying our own checks, so when the waitress came back with separate checks and her number written on the bottom of his, I tried to hide my surprise. _Ballsy move, assuming something like that_. Bellamy pulled out some cash and placed it with his check and when I put my card out he grumbled something about not wanting to wait and pulled another ten out of his wall, placed our checks together then stood up.

I was left starting after him but I didn’t exactly have much time to protest before he was pushing out of the door. I scurried after him and looked back over my shoulder before I walked out of the door and saw the waitress scowl at the fact that Bellamy hadn’t taken her number.

When I got outside and met Bellamy at his bike, he was pulling out the spare helmet and he turned to look at me. Since the sun had gone down it was harder to see his face, but with the yellow street lamp at the corner of the parking lot, I could still make out some of his facial expression.

“Would you want to go on a ride with me?”

I reached out and took a helmet. “A ride where?”

“Well, where do you want to go, Clarke?” Despite the lack of light, his eyes were heavy on me.

“Surprise me?” My voice was quiet as I peeked up at him. I was being flirty. I’m never flirty first. _Go big or go home, Griffin._

Bellamy grinned. “I think I can do that.”

 

* * *

 

I honestly don’t know what I expected to come out of Harper asking me to go check on Clarke, but riding around the city with her on the back of my motorcycle wasn’t it. I had spent the night before camped out in front of Lafitte’s keeping an eye on everyone coming and going along with Octavia, Raven, and Kane, but I didn’t know what exactly was going on inside aside from the few texts Miller and Murphy sent. I had seen the dress Octavia was altering for Clarke hung up in her room before, but actually seeing Clarke wearing it when she arrived was something else. It dipped low enough in the front to where she was showing some cleavage but not enough to where it would've been too risque. It was shorter in the front and longer in the back and the way it hugged her made my mouth go dry. I tried not to stare, but something in me kept pulling my eyes towards her.  _She really is beautiful_. 

Clarke apparently recognized the two of them, got introduced to Jasper, and was told that they were all roommates. Kane wasn’t too happy with that but just sighed and muttered something about _kids_. Octavia had been the one to see Clarke come out of the building looking kind of shaken before Wells came out and drove her home. Kane had sent Octavia to make sure that Clarke made it home okay but with very strict orders to not be seen. It wasn’t until I asked Miller if he had seen what happened when he said that Emerson got a little too close for comfort. To say that the rage that flared in my chest wasn’t bad would be an understatement; I had already wanted to kill Emerson for threatening Octavia and the fact that he seemed to get a kick out of preying on the secretaries didn’t help that.

Now, Clarke was holding onto me as I rode us down the levee so she could see the water. She had told me surprise her, so I figured the river with the glowing city lights in the background would make her smile. I couldn’t hear her laugh over the wind in my ears and the roar of the bike, but I could feel her chest vibrate against my back and it made me smile.

It still wasn’t a date, but it was fun. When Harper first asked me to check on Clarke, I groaned and said that I didn’t make house calls but she said that if anyone were to _actually_ make sure Clarke was okay then it would’ve been me, just because I would do what she and Octavia asked of me. In the end, I figured it would give me a chance to have some time to actually get to know Clarke, to see who she was and why Octavia had taken to her so quickly. The fact that she was breathtakingly beautiful didn’t help.

 _Miller had been right, I don’t know her_. She had a way of not revealing too much about herself with still answering the questions. When I asked her where she got the couch she said that it had been a gift, which was true; I asked her why she chose pre-med and she told me it was a family thing, but she didn’t talk about how her mom was a surgeon; then when I asked why she bought the house she said it was cheaper than renting an apartment, which, fair enough, it probably was.

We drove on the levee for a while before I took a path off it and headed further into downtown. It was quiet, considering it was a Sunday night, and I liked seeing the lights wrapped around the trees and the neon signs above the bars and restaurants. We drove by The Ark and I could see a crowd of people on the roof but there wasn’t a line of people waiting to get in in the front. We drove for at least another twenty minutes just taking in the sights when I finally caught a red light and Clarke tapped me on the shoulder.

“Do you know where Snow Creamery is?” She yelled over the bike and I nodded my head. _So she wants ice cream._

I took a left and made my way towards the ice cream shop, pulling to a stop in a vacant spot in front of the building. It was the only ice cream place in Arkadia that was open until the bars closed. I had actually ended up there a few times during some nights out. Clarke swung herself off my bike a lot easier this time than the first time and smiled as she handed me the helmet before skipping towards the front door.

“I know we just ate but I really want some ice cream.”

“Hey, you don’t need to justify your ice cream cravings to me.” I motioned for her to go inside and followed after her.

Clarke opted for a cup of cake batter ice cream and brownies and I went for a chocolate shake. After we both paid and tipped, Clarke said that she wanted to go to the little park across the street and watch the water fountain. I kept chanting _not a date_ in my head, but as time went on, it started to feel like it. But it definitely wasn’t.

“So, the first day we saw each other, why did you ask me if I was okay after my encounter with those guys? You didn’t even know me.” Clarke looked at me while she took a bite of her ice cream.

I shrugged. “I hate guys like that, and though you could clearly handle yourself, I figured getting approached like that must’ve been scary and I just wanted to make sure you were good. The girls I’m around, Harper, O, Raven, they’ve all had run-ins like that and it’s always shaken them up.”

“Raven?”

“Our, uh, other roommate.”

“Jesus, seriously, what is that? Like seven people?”

“Eight.”

Clarke’s eyebrows shot up. “ _Eight?_ How do you guys manage it?”

“Five bathrooms and a lot of _do not enter_ signs.”

“So you _do_ live in a mansion!” Clarke pointed her spoon at me. “I knew it. With that many people, I’d go for a mansion too.”

I just laughed because I didn’t want to tell her about us living with Kane. _She’ll found out when he’s ready for her to find out_. I changed the topic to asking her why she chose to go with medicine when she obviously liked art and she told me that she always had a knack for biology and while art was something she enjoyed, she felt like she wouldn’t have liked it if she had to adhere to a lot of rules for the art classes. In turn, she asked me what I wanted to do with my history doctorate and I told her that I wanted to teach college classes.

“What’s a history class you would recommend?”

“Depends, why are you taking it?”

“I still need a history class to fill my gen ed requirement but I don’t know which one I want to take.”

“Well, I liked Greece of the City-State, then there’s Crafting History if you’re interested in how people began telling their history, and of course American civ., world civ., different classes for different wars. It’s really whatever sounds the best to you.”

“What’s Greece of the City-State like?”

I told Clarke about the class and how it was very reading heavy, but as I talked she seemed to be more and more interested in it. I liked the class because I like history and Greek mythology, so the class had been a breeze for me. When I finished talking, she told me that she loved the Percy Jackson books growing up which led to her reading up on Greece and how she wanted to visit there one day.

“I think I’ll go with that one next Spring then.”

“Cool, I recommend it. If you ever have any trouble with it then I’d be happy to help.”

“You would?” She arched an eyebrow at me. _Shit. Too soon_.

“Yeah. Or O could help, she loves that stuff too.”

“Oh, okay, yeah.” Clarke nodded her head then went back to scraping at her cup, though I could see the slight frown on her face. _Damn._ “Thanks.”

“No problem.” _You can’t get too comfortable yet. She’ll found out you’ve been assigned with keeping an eye on her and she’s going to be pissed._

We finished our ice cream and I offered to go throw them away. When I turned around, Clarke was standing by the fountain with her back to it and I watched as she closed her eyes then threw a coin over her shoulder. I ran my hands through my hair as I made my way towards her.

“What’d you wish for?”

“Can’t tell you, it won’t come true. That’s like, wishing rule number one.”

“There’s wishing rules?” I teased.

“Only one.” She smiled at me then held out a penny. “Penny for your wish?”

I stared at the coin as I took it. “I don’t even know what I’d wish for.”

“Everyone has to have _something_ they’d want to wish for.” I looked at Clarke for a beat before turning my back to the fountain and throwing the coin in. “What’d you wish for?” Clarke grinned up at me and I shook my head.

“I can’t tell you, that’s the rule.” I smirked and she started to laugh. “Come on, it’s getting late and you have work tomorrow.”

We rode back to her house and as we got closer, I realized that I probably wouldn’t have a night like this with her again for a while. _Assuming she’ll still want to talk to you after she finds out the truth._ When we turned down her road, her arms tightened around me and it made me wonder if she was having the same thoughts. I pulled into her driveway and she got off the bike; I did too and I walked her to her door.

“I think that was the best non-date I’ve ever had.” She smiled at me through her eyelashes and despite how dark it was, I could still see the blue clearly.

“Me too.”

“Feel free to come make sure I’m not dead or in a coma any time.” She bit her bottom lip and I barked out a laugh. _She’s adorable._

“Can I see your phone?” On impulse, I held my hand out and she pulled it out of her back pocket. I put my number in it and sent myself a text before handing it back. “Feel free to call me if you need saving again.”

Clarke ducked her head and laughed then looked up at me. “Goodnight, Bellamy.”

“Goodnight, Clarke.”

She stared at me for a few more seconds before unlocking her door and I waved bye as she shut it. Kane was going to be pissed. _Royally_ pissed. But in that moment I couldn’t bring myself to care. I backed out of her driveway and started towards the house, all the while I couldn’t get her smile or her laugh out of my head. A simple task of just going to check on her turned into me asking her out on a _not_ date, but I’m pretty sure the both of us knew we were kidding ourselves.

We didn’t even know each other, I just knew she was attractive and that I wanted to see who she was because Kane was trying to recruit her. But there was _something_ about her, that pulled deep inside of me telling me to keep going back to her.

When I parked and walked into the house, Octavia vaulted over the back of the couch and pulled me upstairs. At first I thought she was going to bring me to her room but she brought me to Harper’s where Harper was covered in a mound of blankets with a box of tissues next to her and _Harry Potter_ playing on her T.V.

“Oh, you’re finally back!” Harper sat up and moved her legs so Octavia could throw me onto the bed.

“Spill it.” Octavia jumped on the bed too and I stared in horror at the two girls in front of me.

“There’s nothing to spill.”

“Bullshit.”

“Denial.”

“Seriously, we got some food, went for a ride, got some ice cream, and I gave her a ride back home. That’s it.”

Octavia and Harper shared a look then turned their _we all know that’s complete bullshit_ look on me and I felt like I was a little kid getting busted for something by my mom and my teacher.

“Bell, I love you, but you’re being stupid.”

“Yeah, Blake, that was a date.”

“No, it wasn’t. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even like me like that.” _With the way she was flirting, she totally does, but the two of you don’t need to know that_. Octavia slapped me upside the head. “Ow! What the fuck, O?”

“I was hoping it’d knock some sense into you.”

I glared at her. “You both told me to check on her, and I checked on her.”

“And then brought her on a _date_.” I started to protest and Octavia held her hand up. “You can say it wasn’t a date all you want but you and I and Harper all know that that’s what it was. I saw the way she looked at you in the coffee shop that day, Bell, that girl likes you.”

“Yep. And with how you’ve been interested in keeping an eye on her, it’s not much of a stretch to say you like her too.”

I shook my head and stood up. “We barely know each other and when she finds out I was sent to watch over her I’m pretty sure she’ll never want to talk to me again, okay?” I looked at the two of them then my phone went off and I pulled it out of my pocket. A text from Clarke.

_I never said thanks for the food. So thanks for the food!_  
_And the ride!  
And the not date!_

I smiled and texted her back.

_You’re welcome x3 :)_

When I looked back up, Octavia and Harper were both looking at me with their eyebrows raised. I threw my hands up and walked towards the door.

“I’m going to bed. Make mountains out of mole hills.” But before I could close the door, I heard the two of them whispering to each other.

“They’re so fucked.”

“Totally.”

I debated on if I should go tell Kane what happened but when I checked the time I figured I shouldn’t. He had to be up early for a meeting with health inspector for the bar and I didn’t want him to have to try and deal with this too. I pushed my way into my room and toed off my shoes then stripped down to my boxers. I brushed my teeth relatively quickly then made my way towards my bed.

Despite what I wanted to tell myself, what happened with Clarke had been an unintentional date but nothing could come out of it. Not until Kane did something. But that didn’t stop my dreams from drifting to blonde hair and blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, they're totally gone and they don't even know it yet lol Do you think Octavia and Harper sent Bellamy over there because they had a plan? Or was he really the only person that they had to go check on her?  
> I really enjoyed writing this chapter because it was all Bellarke and all feels! I've set a number for how many chapters this is going to be but it's tentative :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	12. Liquid Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya's birthday and Clarke gets an unexpected visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm sorry for the delay! We had a storm come in and then it was my birthday and I didn't have any time to write, so I hope you can forgive me :)

The next two weeks working at Ark Inc. are pretty much the same, except for the increased glares that Lorelei shot at me anytime she saw me near the café and the way Emerson looked at me anytime he came to talk to Thalia. Cage on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. Which was completely fine with me. If only Emerson would do the same. Though the texts I got from Bellamy every now and then caused my heart to do a somersault and a smile to break across my face that I couldn’t quite contain.

Now, at the end of the two weeks, I was brought to The Ark for Maya’s twentieth birthday. I hadn’t seen her since our last shift together which was nearly a month ago, so getting to spend the night with her, was a nice way to celebrate. Going out was never something Maya was into, she was usually the quiet type to stay in and watch movies, which was something we did together a few times so seeing her let her hair down and enjoy herself was fun.

Since I met Miller and Murphy at the work event, they didn’t ask for my I.D. when I showed up at the end of the bar and waved at them. Two hours into dancing, Maya dragged me to the bar saying that she needed a bottle of water and I noticed that Jasper had switched places with Miller.

“Clarke!” Jasper smiled as he walked towards me and Maya. “I didn’t know you would be here tonight.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here either.” I returned his smile and was slightly shocked when he leaned over to give me a hug. “But I’m here for this girl’s birthday!” I turned to my side and motioned towards Maya. “Maya, this is Jasper, Jasper, this my friend Maya.”

Jasper stared at Maya like she was the most amazing person he had ever seen and I could see Maya blush.

“Hi, Jasper, it’s nice to meet you.” Maya gave him a shy smile and reached out to shake his hand.

“You too. You’re beautiful.” Jasper’s eyes were still wide and I could see that they were slightly red. _He’s high_.

“Jasper, up your game, man.” Murphy hit Jasper on the back and Jasper snapped out of whatever trance he was in and gave Maya a sheepish smile.

“Sorry. What can I get you to drink?”

“A water, please.”

The amount of smiling between Jasper and Maya and the obvious attraction they have left me feeling like I should give them some space.

“Do you need anything, Clarke?” Jasper turned his attention to me and shook my head.

“No thanks, but I’m going to go get some ice cream so, keep an eye on my birthday girl for me. Okay?”

“No problem there.” Jasper turned a bright smile back to Maya and leaned onto the bar, completely ignoring Murphy’s complaints from behind him. _Yeah, I think they’ll be fine._

I made my way up the spiraling metal staircase that leads up to the roof of the bar and was surprised to find that, despite the humidity still lingering in the summer air, it was cooler outside than it had been in the bar. I walked over to the ice cream stand and sat on one of the stools, and the guy who was handing out the ice cream cones took my order immediately.

The coldness of the ice cream was welcomed with the heat outside, and I found myself wandering over to railing, looking out at the city. The river was to my right and downtown was to my left, and in the distance I could see the clocktower in the middle of campus illuminated. I wasn’t thinking about anything really, just fleeting thoughts about a bunch of different things, but I didn’t hear someone come up behind me until they leaned against the railing beside me.

“Penny for your thoughts?” A deep voice brought me out of my head and I didn’t need to look over to see who it is.

“Nothing in particular. But now I’m thinking that this ice cream is pretty damn good.” I took another lick and Bellamy chuckled from beside me. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I work here. I’m supposed to relieve Murphy in ten minutes but Jasper told me that you came up here.”

“Are you trying to keep tabs on me, Blake?” I quirked an eyebrow and gave him a sideways glace. Something flashed across his face but it was gone before I could even register it.

“Not at all.” Bellamy turned and used his right arm to prop himself up on the railing. “So, what are _you_ doing here?”

“I’m here for Maya’s birthday but it seemed like her and Jasper were in the middle of something so I decided to give them some space.” I smiled at the image of the two of them looking at each other so bashfully.

“When I walked in she was writing her number down on a napkin.”

“Then it looks like I made the right decision.” I turned and looked at Bellamy, mirroring his stance. “Looks like I can go home now.”

“Are you really?” Bellamy’s face seemed to drop and I bit my lower lip.

“Don’t worry, I’m not leaving. _Yet_.” I smirked and the corners of Bellamy’s mouth twitched upwards. “It’s still Maya’s birthday so I’m staying until she’s ready to go home but it seems like she’s going to be sticking around for a while.”

“So does that mean you’ll be up for keeping me company?”

I sucked in some air between my teeth and looked at him. “I don’t know, it might curb your tips for the night.”

“Eh, I barely make ten dollars in tips, it’s not that big of a deal.” Bellamy shrugged and looked at his watch. “Oops, I’m late.” He looked back up at me and I felt something pull inside of me, making me want to move closer to him. “How about it? Want to be my company?” He gave me a slight smile and it felt like the air had been knocked from my lungs.

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled back. “After I finish my ice cream though.”

His slight smile turned into a grin and the butterflies in my stomach stirred. “Sounds good to me. I’ll see you inside.”

I gave him a small wave bye and watched his leather clad back as he made his way to the door that led back into the bar. I had no idea what kind of relationship the two of us had. He was the brother to a girl that was quickly becoming one of my best friends, and he took me out after a particularly rough night, and we texted from time to time, but other than that we didn’t know each other. The texts we usually sent were along the lines of ‘ _oh my god, it’s too hot in my car I wish I had a motorcycle’_ , to which Bellamy responded _‘just say the word and we’ll go for a ride_ ’, and _‘Harper says that you didn’t eat lunch today so she’s trying to get me to bring you out to eat again’_ , and I said _‘she knows I had an apple from the café!’_ but that only made Bellamy want to get me some food even more.

I turned back towards the railing and looked out at the river, enjoying my ice cream before it completely melted off my cone. It was exciting, knowing that Bellamy wanted me to keep him company, and I started brainstorming stuff to talk to him about when someone else walked up beside me. I didn’t think much about it, but the glint of a ring in the lights on the roof caught my attention and I glanced over, dread filling my body instantly.

“Emerson.”

“Hello, Clarke. I didn’t know you came here.” He gave me a polite smile and it made my skin crawl.

“It’s the best bar in Arkadia.”

“Yes, I suppose some would see it that way.” The corners of his mouth turned downwards as he surveyed the rooftop. “A little too, childish for my tastes.”

“Then I’m sure you can find a place that better suits you.”

“Do I detect some animosity in your voice, Clarke?” Emerson tilted his head to the side and looked at me. There was something in the back of my mind screaming that this man is dangerous, but the knowledge that Bellamy is downstairs made me feel a little better. I just stared at him. “You might want to watch your tone with your superiors.”

“No offence, Emerson, but you are not my boss. That position is held by Mr. Wallace and Mr. Jaha. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

I turned to start walking towards the door to head back to the bar and I felt Emerson’s hand wrap around my bicep, firmly keeping me in place. “You will want to be nice to me, Clarke. I’m not someone who takes unfounded hostility very well.”

“Good thing I don’t have to worry about it being unfounded. The next time you try to blackmail me I’ll make sure to make your life hell. Now let go of me.” I growled at him and a darkness flashed in his eyes as his jaw twitched before he released me. My voice didn’t wavier and I had a feeling that my mother would’ve been proud of me. If there was anything I learned from Abby Griffin, it was that you need a straight back and a firm voice and a glare that she used on my grandfather more than once. “Goodnight, Emerson.”

I turned on my heel and kept walking towards the door, all the while feeling Emerson’s piercing gaze on my back.

The warm air of the bar hit my skin and once I got to the bottom of the metal staircase, I realize Bellamy must’ve been waiting for me because his eyes found mine instantly. The amount of people at the bar had decreased since I had been on the roof, but Jasper and Maya were still talking though they had migrated more towards the middle of the bar rather than the end. I took an empty seat one over from Maya, to give her and Jasper some room to talk, and Bellamy came over after giving another guy a beer.

“You okay?”

His words caused me to jump. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Your breathing is rapid, your eyes are wide, your leg is bouncing, and your face is pale. What happened?” Bellamy braced his hands against the bar and leaned in towards me. I thought I had handled the Emerson situation pretty well, but walking down the stairs had been difficult because my legs were shaking. Though they were steady as I walked away.

“I just ran into someone on the roof. It’s nothing.” I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile, but I could tell it didn’t quite reach my eyes. Bellamy’s eyes narrowed at me but didn’t press the issue and I was grateful when he passed me a drink.

“Just this once. Because you look like you need it.” He gave me a pointed look before he went to some other customers down the bar.

Maya looked over at me and wiggled her eyebrows and I rolled my eyes. I could hear her laugh then turn back to Jasper who seemed to be completely enraptured with her. Maya hadn’t gone out with anyone since her and Jacob broke up about a year ago since they were high school sweethearts, so I was glad that she found Jasper.

Even though Bellamy told me that he wouldn’t give me anymore drinks, Jasper made sure to keep topping me off anytime Bellamy turned around to help another customer and every time he saw me with a new drink he would just shake his head. So, as the night went on the more drinks that got poured and the more I found myself flirting with Bellamy. I had already flirted with him when we went out to eat, and with the liquid courage coursing through my veins I let myself flirt with him a little more.

Eventually, I had to go use the bathroom so I excused myself and told Maya that she didn’t have to come with me. After I did my business, I took a look in the mirror and realized that my makeup had smudged a little from when I cried from laughing at something Jasper had said so I made sure to tidy myself up before heading back to my seat. Only, when I got there, there was another girl sitting there batting her eyelashes at Bellamy.

He was smiling with her, laughing lightly anytime she said something, and she was definitely making it a point to push her boobs up higher out of her camisole as she leaned against the bar. _You had been doing something similar earlier_. I suppressed my groan as I made my way to Maya, who I left my drink with, and I made it a point to not look at Bellamy as I tilted my head back and downed my drink before walking into the crowd of people dancing.

I was acting like a child, and I knew that, but the alcohol in my system didn’t allow me to think as rationally as I should’ve. _We aren’t together. We barely know each other. There’s no reason for me to feel jealous. He’s just hot. That’s it._ I closed my eyes and let myself find the beat of the music. I was never one to just dance by myself, I always felt awkward, but I had had enough alcohol to where I didn’t care anymore. I started swaying to the music and then let myself get carried away by the sounds. Hands up, eyes closed, and when I felt someone move in front of me, I opened my eyes and smiled at Maya.

I didn’t try to keep track of time as the two of us danced and we only stopped when I felt like I needed to get some water, but Maya left to get it so I kept dancing while I waited for her to come back. I wasn’t aware of much going on around me considering how far gone I was, so when a hand grabbed my arm and a voice growled in my ear, I was petrified.

“You should be careful with how you talk to people who could ruin your life, pretty one. Next time, I won’t be so nice.” Emerson’s breath smelled like expensive scotch and it ghosted across my ear and my cheek before he let me go and disappeared into the crowd of dancers. I couldn’t make sense of what Emerson had said and I couldn’t get my legs to start moving either. I kept my eyes trained on the spot where I last saw him when Maya came up with a bottle of water and a concerned look on her face.

“Clarke? Are you okay?”

“Y—yeah. I think I need to sit down, though.”

“Oh, well come on then.” Maya looped her arm through with mine and we both walked back to the bar. The girl was still siting in my old seat so I took up an empty sit on the other side of Maya and a little further down the bar.

Jasper slid another drink down at me and I gave him a small smile, though he gave me a look as if to ask _are you okay?_ And I nodded my head. I downed my water and nursed on my drink, still mulling over everything that had happened with Emerson. I decided to text Wells.

**Wells Jaha**

**Clarke:** I thiink I ducked up

 **Wells:** What happened?

 **Clarke:** Emerson happened

 **Wells:** You’re being cryptic right now. Use your words

 **Clarke:** I’m drunk, I can barelyy tupe

 **Wells:** Do you need me to come get you? Are you still at The Ark with Maya?

 **Clarke:** No

 **Clarke:** Maybe

 **Clarke:** I’m still w Maya

 **Wells:** Stay there, I’m on my way

I sighed as I put my phone back into my pocket. Having Wells come get me seemed like it would be the best solution, but I didn’t want to leave Maya on her birthday. Though from the way her and Jasper has been talking, he would ended up driving her home so it didn’t seem like she needed me to stick around.

I laid my head on the bar and held onto my water bottle. I could see Bellamy looking at me but I didn’t bring my gaze up to meet his. He would probably get a decent tip if he kept talking to that girl and I didn’t want to ruin that. _He might even walk away with her number._ I closed my eyes and just felt the bar vibrate under my head until a shadow fell over my face. When I blinked my eyes open, Bellamy was looking down at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

“Do you need to go home?”

“No, Wells is coming to talk to me.” I closed my eyes again and Bellamy tapped my hand.

“Hey, no falling asleep at the bar.”

“I’m not falling asleep, Bellamy.” I groaned and slowly lifted my head up.

“Are you okay?”

“You don’t need to worry about me. Go get your tips.” I looked back down at my drink in front of me and swirled it around. I didn’t look up and, eventually, he left to go back to the other side of the bar.

“You look like shit.” Wells plopped down in the seat next to me and I propped my head up in my hand.

“And you look like a douche.” I eyed his polo and his khaki pants. “Seriously, we’ve talked about this.”

“Yeah, yeah. I didn’t have time to change.” He took my drink out of my hands and took a sip. “So, what the hell happened?”

“Emerson happened.” I grumbled and Wells sighed.

“You said that already. I meant, what happened with him to make you think you fucked something up?”

I kept my eyes trained on my water bottle as I went through everything that happened at the work event and then what happened on the roof, and ended with what he said to me last. Wells didn’t interrupt me as I spoke, but from the way he was gripping the glass in his hands, he was pissed.

“Fuck. And I thought it would be Cage to pull some shit like that.” Wells sighed and ran his hand over his face.

“Cage has actually been a gentleman, even though he still makes my skin crawl.”

“Clarke, I’m sorry.” Wells rested his arms on the bar as he looked at me. “What can I do?”

“You can tell me what the fuck Emerson meant, for starters.” I grumbled and downed some more of my water. My head wasn’t as clouded as it had been, but it still wasn’t completely cleared.

“I have an idea.” Wells took a deep breath and I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Emerson’s family is what my father calls one of _the_ families.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

“They’ve been around Arkadia for a while, very rich and very powerful.”

“Sounds like something out of a gangster movie from the thirties.” I snorted and Wells nodded his head.

“Something like that, yeah.”

“So does that have something to do with those family crest rings they wear?”

“Yeah.” Wells tipped his head back and downed the rest of the drink. “My dad hasn’t told me much, but I’ve listened to him on the phone before. There’s the Wallace’s, the Emerson’s, and the Kane’s as the big families. Though the Emerson’s aren’t as big as the Wallace’s or the Kane’s.”

“Alright, you’re going a little too _Godfather_ on me.” I sighed and rubbed my temples. _But why does Kane sound so familiar?_ “What does this have to do with anything?”

“What I’m trying to get at, is if Emerson threatens you, it’s not something to be taken lightly.” Wells swiveled around in his seat to look at me. “But you don’t have to worry about anything.”

 _Doesn’t sound like I don’t have anything to worry about_. “What do you mean?”

“It means, me and my dad got you, Clarke. If he’s threatened you, we’ll get him fired.”

“Yeah, well, that never seems to work out.” I grumbled and Wells cocked his head to the side to look at me. Before he could say anything, Bellamy and Jasper called for last call and the bar was swarmed with people getting their last drinks of the night.

After everyone was served, Wells told Maya happy birthday and the two of them talked while Jasper and Bellamy cleaned up behind the bar. I was working on my second bottle of water when Bellamy appeared in front of me.

“Are you about to head home?”

“Well, the bar is closing.” I pointed out and I could see the corners of his mouth turn upwards.

“I guess you’re getting a ride home from Wells?”

“Probably. Why do you ask?” I tilted my head to the side and looked at him.

“Oh, no reason.” He turned away and started wiping down a glass. “Actually, no, that’s bullshit.” Bellamy turned back to me and braced his hands on the bar, leaning towards me. “I was wanting to know if I could drive you home.”

I could see that Jasper, Wells, and Maya were looking at us out of the corner of my eye and I tried not to look over at them. “Why?” My voice came out soft.

“Because I want to.”

“Well—”

“Sounds like a _great_ idea to me.” Wells cut in and smiled. “Means I can get home ten minutes early and go to sleep.”

“Perfect.” Bellamy nodded at Wells then turned back to me. “So, what do you say? Up for another ride?” Bellamy gave me a wicked smile and I could feel myself melt under it. _I’m totally screwed_.

“Yeah, sounds fun.”

“Great. I’ll be ready to go in fifteen.” Bellamy kept smiling then turned and got back to closing up.

 

* * *

 

Having Clarke be at The Ark whenever I got there was the best thing that could’ve happened. I got to talk to her for hours between helping customers and cleaning up and now I was looking forward to being able to drive her home. She looked drunk, but I knew that everyone had been supplying her with water for a while so she wasn’t as gone as she had been.

After Jasper and I finally ushered out the last few customers and put all the chairs up for the night, I could barely hide my excitement at getting to drive Clarke back home. Sure, we had talked a little over the past two weeks, but that wasn’t the same as actually getting to see her. And Kane made it a point to not have me watching her anymore despite my arguments. Though, it was probably best that I hadn’t been watching her because there’s a good chance Clarke wouldn’t want to talk to me after she finds out.

The five of us gathered around outside while I locked the doors. Jasper and Maya seemed to have hit it off and I wasn’t surprised when he offered to drive her home since she and Clarke had Ubered to the bar. Wells said his goodbyes and murmured something to Clarke when he hugged her, though I couldn’t hear what he said. Once Wells got into his car, and Jasper and Maya said their goodbyes and got into Jasper’s jeep, it was only me and Clarke standing on the sidewalk and it seemed like she was falling asleep standing up.

“Let’s get you home.” I looked down at her and she opened her eyes and gave me a small smile. She motioned for me to lead the way and I placed my hand on the small of her back to guide her towards my bike. Her leaning into my touch didn’t do anything to calm down my racing heart either.

When we got to my motorcycle, I pulled out the extra helmet and handed it to her, though when she fumbled with the strap I bit back my laugh and fastened it for her. _She’s cute when she’s tired_. I sat down and patted the seat, motioning for her to do the same, and when she did she wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face into my back. _Don’t think about it. Just get her home._

The ride back to Clarke’s house was…relaxing. Clarke kept her head rested on my back and her hands held onto my belt as we sped down the road. When we pulled onto her street, I could feel her grip tighten on me. I came to a stop in her driveway and we both sat there for a second, neither of us moving.

“Clarke, you still awake back there?” I rested my hands on top hers and rubbed my thumb across her knuckles.

“Mhmm…”

“I think we need to get you into bed.”

“Mmm…sounds good to me.” I tried turning to see her face, but I couldn’t. Though it seemed like she was smiling.

“Clarke Griffin, are you drunk flirting with me?” I teased.

“Mmm…maybe.” She gigged and I shook my head. “I’ve been flirting with you for a while.”

“Okay, come on.” I unhooked her hands from around me and she moved to get off my bike. Despite the warm summer air, her body leaving mine made me shiver. She wobbled a little as she stood, but when she straightened, she stayed beside the bike and I got up and unclipped the helmet from her head and smiled at her. “Do you think you can make it into the bed yourself or do I have to carry you?”

“I think I’ll take option two.” She gave me a sleepy smile and I chuckled.

“You’re so drunk.” I shook my head and wrapped my hand around her waist, guiding her towards her house. I helped her up the stairs and she started fumbling around with her keys when I noticed the front door was already open.

“Aha!” She held up her house key triumphantly but before she could move towards the door I caught her wrist.

“Wait.”

“What?” She turned her blue eyes towards me, her brows creasing together.

“Your door is already unlocked. Do you know if someone else came here?”

She shook her head. “Only Wells has a key and—I didn’t turn my alarm on before I left.” Her eyes went wide and she glanced towards the door. “But how would he know…” Her voice was barely above a whisper and my eyebrows knitted together.

“Who?”

“It can’t—” She shook her head.

“ _Clarke._ ”

“Carl Emerson.” Her eyes were as wide as saucers and I felt my blood run cold.

“Wait here.” I looked at her and she nodded her head, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“I’ll call Wells.”

I jerked my head once then faced her door. _What the hell does Emerson have to do with this? I should call Kane._ I reached into my pocket and took out my knife before pushing into her house. The light was off and I could hear Clarke talking to Wells but it seemed far away; my heart was pounding in my ears as I flipped on the light and looked around the house. Her living room looked fine, nothing was out of place from the last time I saw it, so I kept going through her house.

There was nothing wrong with the kitchen, or the bathroom, and no one hiding either, but when I pushed into her bedroom, I stared. Her mattress was shredded, her mirror above her dresser was shattered, her drawers were thrown everywhere, but what really got me was the black spray paint above her bed.

_Consider this a warning.  
_

_Fuck_. I turned off the light and shut her door then started back towards the front door. I was turning lights off as I went and when I reached Clarke on the porch, she wasn’t on the phone anymore and she was shaking. She was looking around outside and I felt bad for leaving her by herself, but I didn’t want to risk having her inside if someone else was in there.

“Clarke?”

She jerked her eyes towards me and worried at her lower lip. “How bad is it?”

“Everything is fine besides your bedroom—”

“My bedroom?”

“I can’t have you staying here tonight.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Come on.” I grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs and back towards my bike.

“I can just go stay with Wells, he offered to come get me.”

I stopped and turned to look at her. “I’d feel better if you stayed with me.”

Despite the situation, she chuckled. “You and your dozen roommates and your mansion?”

The corners of my mouth turned upwards. “There’s only eight of us, Clarke, not twelve.”

She waved her hand around her face and sighed. “Same difference.” She wavered on her feet and I moved closer to her. “If I go with you, does that mean I can sleep in your bed?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“With you?”

“Clarke…”

“Hey, just thought I’d try.” She gave me a smile then yawned. “Let’s go to your house, my knight in shining armor.”

I smiled. “As the princess wishes.”

I put her helmet back onto her head and we both settled onto my motorcycle as I backed out of her driveway. I knew I should’ve called Kane and told him what I was doing, but I figured if he knew what happened then he would’ve made the same decision. _He wants Clarke protected, so this is how we’re doing that._

I drove over the speed limit more than I usually did, but I wanted to put as much space between us and Clarke’s house as fast as possible. She rested her head on my back as we rode to my house, and I knew she wouldn’t be awake for much longer.

We pulled into the driveway earlier than I expected, and I parked as close to the front door as I could before motioning for Clarke to get off. When she got her helmet off, she surveyed the house and her lips turned into a little _o_.

“Mansion.” She mumbled and I turned to look at her. “Big mansion.”

“Clarke, you okay?”

She nodded her head. “Mhmm…just tired.” She yawned and swayed on her feet. “Really tired.”

“Clarke, hey,” I reached over and placed my hands on either side of her face. “We just have to get inside, yeah?”

“Yeah. Bed.” She nodded her head but didn’t open her eyes. “So tired.”

“Clarke?” She didn’t say anything but she wavered on her feet again before falling forward into my chest. “Clarke?” I tried shaking her but she only grumbled and buried her head further into my chest. “Perfect.” I hoisted her up as much as I could then bent down and braced my arms under her legs and lifted her up.

Once I reached the front door, I fumbled with the key pad before being able to push into the house. All of the lights were out except for the light coming from the TV in the living room. I started towards the stairs but didn’t make it far when someone called from the couch.

“Please tell me you didn’t kill her.” Raven’s voice came from behind me and I could hear her brace squeak as she stood up.

“I didn’t kill her, Raven.” I grumbled then readjusted Clarke in my arms.

“Then what’s she doing here?” Raven leaned against the wall and I sighed. “Does Kane know about this?”

“Raven—”

“Blake—”

“Emerson threatened her. Trashed her bedroom. She can’t stay there.”

“What about the Jaha’s? She’s supposed to be close to them, right?” When I didn’t answer, Raven kinked one of her eyebrows and looked at me. “You’re getting too close, Bellamy.”

“I’m aware of that, Raven.” I sighed and motioned up the stairs. “But Kane wants her protected and that’s what I’m doing.”

“So he _doesn’t_ know about this.”

“Not yet.”

“Think he’ll be pissed?”

“No idea.” I lifted Clarke up and tightened my hold on her. “But we’ll find out in the morning.

Raven nodded then motioned for me to start walking up the stairs. “I’ll grab her some clothes.”

“Really?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. Raven knew that it was Clarke who Finn had been flirting with and with how angry she had been for the past few weeks, I didn’t think she would be willing to help her.

“What happened was his fault, she didn’t know.” Raven’s voice was strained. “I want to be pissed at her. I really do. But she’s innocent in this.”

“That’s…really reasonable.”

“Come on, Bellamy, I’m nothing if not reasonable.” Raven teased and I could feel myself smile.

“Debatable.”

“Asshole.” I felt Raven swat me on my back before breaking off to go to her room while I went to mine.

I got Clarke onto my bed and took off her shoes before placing my blanket over then Raven appeared in my doorway with a change of clothes for when she wakes up. I nodded towards Raven and she gave me a mock salute before heading back to her room. I looked towards the doorway then back to the bed. I had planned on sleeping on the couch, but the idea of leaving Clarke by herself made me anxious, even though there was nothing that could happened to her while she was there. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

 _You’re getting too close, Bellamy._ _Yeah. I am_. I closed my eyes and it seemed like the adrenaline form earlier had worn off and I could feel my tiredness trying to pull me down. I opened my eyes and looked at Clarke again. Her breathing was even and she looked so peaceful. _She’ll be fine._ I took a bottle of water out of my minifridge and placed it on the nightstand then grabbed a pillow from the other side of the bed and an extra blanket out of my closet. I stopped at my door and turned back to look at her.

 _What are you doing to me, Clarke?_   I shook my head then turned back towards the door and slipped out of it, making my way towards the living room. There was going to be a lot of shit to deal with when I woke up, but knowing that Clarke was safe from Emerson, at least for one night, is what helped me fall asleep. _She’s safe. That’s what matters._ I didn’t even think about Emerson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo....what'd you think?? I love hearing your thoughts in the comments :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	13. The morning after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke meets the boss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it took me a while to get this chapter up, but I should be back to posting every week now :) My classes start at the end of this month so I may have a harder time updating once that happens but I'm going to do my best to write as much as possible now!
> 
> I'm sorry for any spelling/punctuation/grammar mistakes!

When I woke up the next morning, the unfamiliar room spun around me and I couldn’t seem to clear my head enough to figure where the hell I was. I ran my hands over my face and sighed. It wasn’t like me to get black out drunk and then go home with some random person, so I knew that wasn’t the case. I opened my eyes again and looked around. There was something about the place that just seemed _familiar_ despite the fact that I had never been there before. I pushed the covers back and slowly sat up, taking inventory of how my entire body seemed to ache, then saw a bottle of water sitting on the nightstand.

I picked up the bottle of water and sipped at it, the events from the night before slowly coming back into my mind. _Maya’s birthday, Bellamy at the bar, Wells, riding home with Bellamy, Emerson…_ my blood ran cold at the thought of him, and I remembered where I was. _Someone broke into my house and Bellamy brought me to his_. I kept sipping on my water but looked around the room again, taking my time while cataloging everything. _No wonder it seems familiar._

Some of Bellamy’s clothes were spilling out of the hamper that sat in the corner of his room, there were two bookshelves on either side of his desk filled with textbooks, history books, and some mythology books, and his bedsheets were blue, like the blue t-shirt he was wearing the first time I ever saw him. His room seemed familiar because it just screamed Bellamy Blake. I stood up and looked down at my clothes, shorts and a flimsy top. _Maybe I could borrow some clothes…_ I started to make my way towards his dresser when a folded stack of clothes sitting on top of it caught my eye. It looked like a pair of black leggings and a worn red v-neck. _Definitely girl clothes._ _I wonder who left them?_

I stripped out of my shorts and shirt and pulled on the other clothes that smelled like they had been freshly washed and loved how I didn’t smell like the bar anymore. I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked over to Bellamy’s bookshelves and looked at the titles; _The Iliad, The Histories, Medea, The Concise History of Women Suffrage, Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome, The Hemlock Cup, Worlds Together, Worlds Apart_ …and a lot more mythology books. He even had the Percy Jackson series tucked away on the top shelf.

When I figured I should probably stop snooping, I turned around and headed for the door. I was really hungry but I also really had to use the bathroom. _Now it’s just a matter of finding where it is_. I cracked the door open and peeked out into the hall. It was silly, but I felt like I was intruding in someone’s home despite the fact that Bellamy had brought me there, and I didn’t really want to be seen. When I realized that there was no one in the hallway, I slipped out of his bedroom and looked around. The top floor made a U shape and there were a lot of doors lining the walls, how someone could navigate this house and actually get to the room they needed without counting was beyond me.

I scanned the doors and noticed some had signs on the front of them and figured that they were bedrooms, so when I looked to my right and saw a door with nothing on it, I figured that would be my best bet at figuring out where the bathroom was. The hardwood was cold under my feet and it looked like it had been polished recently. The boards didn’t creak when I stepped and I had to fight the urge to jump up and down to see if they ever did make any noise, the pain from my bladder kept me focused on the door I hoped was a bathroom. Just as I reached the door, I was about to knock when someone threw it open and I stumbled back, a pair of hands reaching out to grab my shoulders and steady me.

“Still drunk?” Bellamy’s deep voice caused my eyes to snap to his. His hair was wet and sticking to his forehead while it curled around at the nape of his neck, and as my eyes wandered down, I realized he was only wearing a towel. My mouth went dry and I forced myself to look back at his face. I blushed.

“No, I just didn’t expect someone to be in here.”

“Well, I just finished showering so you might need to wait a second if that’s what you were going to do. Other than that, bathroom’s all yours.” He let his hands drop and took the end of the towel that was slung across his shoulder and started rubbing his hair. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, I did. Thank you.” I smiled at him and suddenly a memory from the night before drifted into my head. “Though you didn’t have to let me kick you out of your bed, you know.” I titled my head to the side and kept smiling.

“I don’t know, I’m not sure I could’ve handled sleeping next to a corpse.” He teased and I moved to swat him on the shoulder and he caught my hand. “Good to know that wasn’t just the alcohol talking though.”

His eyes were dark and I could feel electricity shoot through my body from where his warm hand was wrapped around my own. I couldn’t look away from him.

“Bellamy! Jasper won’t give me my sleep mask!” Octavia’s voice came from somewhere on the other side of the top floor and Bellamy blinked a couple of times before letting go of my hand. I shook my head a little and stepped back. _Whatever was happening just then, it’s gone now_. Bellamy sighed.

“I guess I should go get dressed and deal with that.” He ran the towel over his face. “Meet me downstairs in fifteen and I’ll make you breakfast.”

“Okay,” I smiled and he nodded his head. “Thanks, for everything.”

The corners of his mouth turned upwards. “What are knights in shining armor for?” He winked then turned around to head towards his room and I felt myself blush again before the screaming from my bladder made me rush towards the bathroom.

Bellamy came back to the bathroom and told me that there was a new toothbrush he kept in case of emergencies under the sink and said I could use it. _Thank god._ After I cleaned my left over makeup off my face, ran a comb through my hair, and brushed my teeth, I figured I was finally ready to go downstairs. It was irrational to be nervous since I pretty much knew everyone already, but I had never been in their house before. _Their mansion at that._

I walked out of the bathroom and followed the sound of people talking, and food being cooked, all the way to the kitchen. Despite Bellamy telling me that he lived with seven other people, there was only him in the kitchen but he was cooking enough bacon and eggs to feed a small army.

“How can you work until 2:00AM and still find the energy to get up and cook for everyone?” I asked as I leaned against the counter next to the stove. The towel was gone and he was wearing black and gray pajama pants and a white t-shirt. _He’s gorgeous. It’s really not fair._

“Years of practice.” He gave me a lopsided smile over his shoulder then went back to flipping the bacon. “Can you grab the biscuits out of the fridge please? There should be two cans on the top shelf.”

I nodded and skipped over to the fridge and pulled out the cans. Bellamy set out a pan and asked if I could start placing them on it then went back to tending to the eggs. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually made breakfast with someone else; Wells and I usually went out to get food. Once the biscuits were in the oven, Bellamy went to work on _another_ batch of bacon and I was left staring at how much meat he was making.

“You’re really feeding a small army, aren’t you?” I teased and Bellamy chuckled.

“There’s ten mouths to feed, of course we’re feeding a small army.”

“Ten? I thought—” I was cut off my a chime ringing through out the house and Bellamy turned towards the front door.

“Who the hell is that?” There was a deep line between his eyebrows and I wondered why he looked so upset at someone ringing the doorbell. The bacon popped and Bellamy yanked his hand back from the handle of the pan and turned the temperature down. “Could you watch this for a second while I go see who it is?”

“Yeah, I got it.” I smiled and stepped forward, taking the hand towel off his shoulder and placing it on mine.

“Thank you.” Bellamy smiled then leaned forward and gave me a kiss on my cheek. I stared after him as he made his way to the front door. _Did he just—he did. What the fuck._ I couldn’t tear my eyes away until the bacon popped again and tore me out of my stunned state. I flipped the pieces over and kept watching the pan. I tried to listen to see if I could hear anything Bellamy may have been saying, but it was hard to hear everything over the oven vent and the sizzling of the bacon.

When that batch of bacon finished, Bellamy still hadn’t returned and I turned the oven vent off. I could _definitely_ hear what was being said now, and Bellamy didn’t sound happy. There was another voice, unmistakenly male, and it sounded familiar. My curiosity got the better of me and I turned the burner off and moved the pan before walking towards the voices coming from the front of the house.

Bellamy was standing in the doorway with his back towards the rest of the house. I could tell his arms were crossed over his chest and I could see the tension in his shoulders and his back. _He’s really pissed._ It wasn’t until I got closer that I could make out both sides of the conversation.

“Do you have to be such a dick, Blake? Just let me talk to her!”

“I already told you to get the fuck off this property.”

“This isn’t your house. You can’t kick me out.”

“Maybe not, but this has been my home for far longer than anyone else.”

“You think you’re so much better than me don’t you, Bellamy? You think—”

“I’ve never claimed to be better than anyone, Finn,” _Finn?_ “but I know for a fact that Raven is way too good for you.” _Bellamy’s roommate_ _Raven?_

“You fucking—”

“I think Bellamy asked you to leave.” I walked to Bellamy’s side and crossed my arms like him. I stared Finn down and didn’t look at Bellamy even though I saw him turn to look at me.

“ _Clarke?”_ Finn’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open as he looked at me.

“Flynn—Finn. Bellamy asked you to leave.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Not eating my breakfast.” I sighed. “Now, I don’t know who’s house this is, but since Bellamy is the one standing here and asking you to leave, I think you should come back later.”

“You can’t seriously—”

“Bell, what’s going on?” Octavia called from behind us and Bellamy and I turned around to look at her.

“Go get dad, O.”

Octavia’s eyes flicked towards me then Finn standing on the doorstep and her eyes went wide. She nodded then darted back up the stairs.

“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, do you?” Finn’s eyes bore into mine and I could feel his words cause uneasiness to pool in my stomach.

“What do you—”

“Collins.” Another man’s voice came from the stairs and I turned to look at him. He had dark brown hair moved away from his face and while it didn’t reach his shoulders, it was still long. He also had a trimmed salt and pepper beard that made him look slightly older than what he probably was. _Why does he seem familiar?_ “Let’s talk in my office.”

I turned back to Finn who gulped before sliding past me and knocking his shoulder into Bellamy’s. I could see Bellamy’s bicep flex and he moved to go after Finn but I placed a hand on his shoulder and he stilled, looking down at me.

“I think our food is getting cold.”

Bellamy’s eyes softened and he glanced back towards his dad and Finn going up the stairs and he sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” Bellamy gave me a small smile. “Time to call the mob of hungry college kids.”

“I can round everyone up if you want to make sure our biscuits aren’t burnt.” I offered and Bellamy smiled.

“Or, instead of you going around to everyone’s rooms, we can just do this.” Bellamy straightened and turned towards the stairs, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Breakfast is ready get down here and eat or you’ll starve.” There was silence followed by what sounded like a herd of animals stomping all around the house. Bellamy turned to me and grinned “Okay, one mob of college students coming up.” 

Bellamy guided me back to the kitchen in time for the timer for the biscuits to go off, and I couldn’t get his conversation with Finn out of my head. 

“Raven’s your other roommate.”

“Yeah, she is.” Bellamy didn’t look at me as he took the biscuits out of the oven. “She gave you those clothes to wear last night.” He stood up and nodded at the leggings and tank top I was wearing. _She did?_

“What happened with her and Finn?” I asked and I saw Bellamy glance towards the ever growing sound of footsteps heading towards us.

“Finn and Raven dated for a while but we found out that he had been cheating on her and flirting with other girls behind her back.”

“Meaning me?” I thought back to all the times Finn showed up in the coffee shop and called me princess and all the times he made me blush. Another thing I realized though, was that all of these people had been connected and I didn’t know about it. _Isn’t that weird_?

“Yeah.” Bellamy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “You were the first one she learned about, it wasn’t until later she found out about the others. She doesn’t blame you though, she knows you couldn’t have known he had a girlfriend. It’s all on him.”

I didn’t have time to respond before all of his roommates clamored into the kitchen. I already knew Miller, Jasper, Monty, Murphy, Octavia, and Harper, but I hadn’t met the tanned brunette before so I could only guess that she must’ve been Raven. I looked back at Bellamy and sighed.

“And somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Everyone told me hey and Octavia and Harper each gave me a hug, though Raven gave me a polite smile and introduced herself. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry about what happened, but I had no idea how to do that without making things awkward.

After we all grabbed our food, no one asked me how I came to be at their house, or where I slept, though they must’ve known I slept in Bellamy’s room, but Miller asked me how Maya’s birthday had gone. I told him that she had fun and that I was sure she would be going back in the future, then I made sure to grill Jasper about how he got my friend home and he told me he walked her to the door and told her goodnight. When his phone pinged and he picked it up and smiled at it, I knew things must’ve gone smoothly after they left.

Other than some small talk while everyone ate, no one really said anything. Which I didn’t know if that was good or bad considering how fast my thoughts were going. Despite it already being ten o’clock, everyone seemed like they were still half asleep. How Jasper and Bellamy could work so late into the night and wake up the next morning at a reasonable hour, and have Bellamy cook for everyone, I had no idea. Octavia and Harper kept starting conversations with me and getting Raven to chip in, and soon enough I found that Raven was really witty and smart. _How could Finn cheat on her?_

It didn’t take long for all of us to annihilate our food, and when we were done everyone dropped their plates into the sink and disappeared. But did hear Jasper say something about _wake’n’bake_ so I wondered if they just went outside or something. Miller offered to do the dishes but Bellamy waved him off, saying that he knew he was supposed to be going to Bryan’s soon and told him to go get ready so I stayed with him to help.

We worked in silence for a little bit. I cleaned off the plate and then handed it to Bellamy who washed it off and put it in the dishwasher. I had so many questions running through my mind but no idea where to start or how to ask them. I kept going back and forth in my mind about what I should do until finally I decided, _screw it_.

“So, I have a question.” I dumped the leftovers off one of the plates and handed it to Bellamy.

“Just one?” Bellamy looked over and took the plate from me and started washing it.

“Okay, maybe a few. What did Finn mean when he said I didn’t know what I got myself into?”

“I don’t think it’s my place to explain.” Bellamy murmured and took another plate. 

“Then who’s place is it? Your dad’s?”

“He’s not really—that’s complicated too.”

“Is there anything that’s not complicated?” I put down the plate I had been holding and crossed my arms. “I’m starting to feel like there’s a lot more going on here than anyone has let on.” 

Bellamy didn’t say anything and I could feel my heart rate increasing. Surely things weren’t as complicated and ominous as Finn was making them out to be, but the way Bellamy was acting wasn’t doing anything to help my nerves. 

“I think we need to go talk to my dad.” Bellamy turned off the sink and dried his hands on a towel. “He should be finishing up with Finn by now.” Bellamy started towards the stairs and even though there was a voice in the back of my mind screaming to run, that I didn’t want any part of this, my curiosity won.  _I need to know why he looks familiar_. 

I followed Bellamy up the stairs and to the room tucked away in the corner. There was something inherently different about this room than the others, like it just read ‘business, stay out’. Bellamy stopped in front of the door and knocked, then his dad’s voice called from the other side for him to come in. Bellamy opened the door and walked in then stepped to the side and motioned for me to follow him. 

His dad was sitting behind a large wooden desk with bookshelves lining the walls behind him. Finn was sitting in the chair to his right with his head hung and he didn’t look up when we walked in. The older man didn’t seem surprised to see us, in fact, there was a look in his eye that made it seem like he expected this to happen. 

“Please shut the door.” The man nodded and I turned to shut it but Bellamy had already beaten me to it. I stood where I was and started running my fingers over my father’s watch I always wore. Bellamy crosses his arms and leaned up against the wall to my right next to the door.  _What is this_. 

“I didn’t mean to intrude, but—”

“But you have questions.” Bellamy’s dad smiled a little and sat back in his chair, steepling his hands in front of him. “Please, have a seat and I’ll be willing to answer any questions you may have.”

“Can I go then?” Finn looked up and Bellamy’s dad’s gaze slid over to the boy. 

“Yes, you can go. Tell Indra I’ll be in touch.” 

Finn stood up and started towards the door, looking at me as he passed by. There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place, but the look on his face told me he was scared. When the door clicked behind him, I turned back to the man behind the desk.

”Please, Clarke, have a seat.” His smiled and motioned to the seat across from him, his eyes crinkling. I took a deep breath and willed my feet to carry me to the chair.  _What have I gotten myself into?_

“So, you're Bellamy's dad.” I stated and the man nodded. 

“I have custody of Bellamy and Octavia.”

“What about everyone else? Do you just have a habit of taking in kids and adopting them or are they renting the rooms out while in college or something?” The man didn’t say anything but I could hear Bellamy try to stifle his laugh from behind me and the corners of my mouth twitched up. _If he’s laughing, then everything should be fine_.

“I’ve taken them all in, but they are all in college.” The older man sat up. “Do you know who I am?”

 _Kane._ Wells’ voice came back into my mind. _There’s the Wallace’s, the Emerson’s, and the Kane’s as the big families. Though the Emerson’s aren’t as big as the Wallace’s or the Kane’s_.

“You’re one of the families.” I said it slowly as more memories teetered on the edge of my mind but I couldn’t quite grasp them. “Kane.” I said his name and tilted my head to the side, looking at him. _I’ve heard that before_.  _Why do you look familiar?_  Suddenly, I was transported back to being five years old and the doorbell ringing throughout our house.

 

_I’m laying on the floor in the living room drawing in one of my coloring books when the doorbell rings from the front door. I look up and my father sets down the paper he had been reading. My mother walks out of the kitchen, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she walks towards the door. My father gets up too and I follow him, but I stay back and hover by the doorway that connects the foyer to the living room._

_There’s a man outside that looks as old as my parents but he has a shaved head and a smooth face, unlike my dad’s stubble. My mother yells as she sees him and she smiles, wrapping her arms around him._

_“Marcus! You’re back!”_

_“Hey, Abby.” The two pull back from each other and my father steps forward, bringing the man in for a hug too._

_“Nice to see you again.”_

_“You too, Griffin.” The two men smile at each other._

_“Oh, Clarke, come here. There’s someone we want you to meet.” My mother motions for me to come to her and I do. She picks me up and turns towards the other man. “Honey, this is a friend of ours, Marcus Kane.”_

_“Hello, Clarke. It’s nice to meet you. You can call me K.” The man, Kane, smiles at me and waves._

_“Hi, K.” I give him a small smile then bury my face into my mother’s neck._

_“She’s shy.” My mother tells K and he smiles and says that he understands. “But come in, would you like some coffee?”_

 

The scene changes and it’s Christmas time.

 

_“Clarke, if you want to open one present tonight then you can!” My dad calls from the kitchen where he takes out some sugar cookies while Uncle Theo, Aunt Maria, and Wells are in the dining room with my mom helping set the table._

_I walk over to the Christmas tree and look at all of the presents, trying to decide which one I want to open. There’s some from Wells and his parents, a few from mine, but what catches my attention is the one signed Uncle K. I haven’t been able to see him for a while since my parents said he had to go out of town for business, but he did promise me that he would send me a Christmas present. I had gotten his post card from Paris a couple of weeks ago._

_I pull the silver wrapped present from under the tree and place it in my lap. It’s kind of heavy, so I don’t bother trying to shake it, but I’m extra careful at taking off the ribbon since it looks so pretty. I tear into the paper and the present is a metal box with the label Michael Harding Artists Oil Colours along with a set of charcoal pencils and even a leather sketchbook settled under the box._

_For the aspiring artist in you and the belief that you’ll  
go on to make the world a more beautiful place._

_Merry Christmas, Picasso_

 

Then the rest of the memories come in flashes. I didn’t see K for a long time after that, but the few times I did see him he always brought me art supplies and he never stayed long. Then, there’s a memory from when I was nine and I hadn’t seen Kane in years.

 

_I went downstairs to get some water but I heard voices coming from my father’s study so I decided to go see what was going on. I can hear my father’s hushed voice and my mother’s voice, though she sounded like she had been crying._

_“We can’t keep doing it this way, Marcus.”_

_“But we’re so close, Abby.”_

_“Abby, honey, he’s right. We’ve already done so much already we can’t give up now.”_

_“But it’s not just us who we have to think about, Jacob.”_

_“Baby—”_

_“No, Jake, she’s right.” Uncle K’s voice is solemn. “I’ve already asked for too much, and I can’t ask any more. You have your family to think about, and I do too.”_

_“Marcus, I’m sorry.” My mom sounds like she’s crying again._

_“It’s okay, Abby.” There’s some movement and the clinking of glasses. “I hope this doesn’t cause a rift in our friendship, because the two of you are very dear to me. And I hope, one day, we can see a better place for our children to grow up in.”_

_“To better days and a brighter future for our children.” My mother agreed._

_“To better days and a brighter future for our children.” My father’s words echoed my mother’s and there was more clinking of glasses._

_I didn’t see Uncle K the following day, but there was a post card from California waiting for me at the dining table._

The postcards became fewer and fewer and one day I couldn’t find any of them anymore. It was like Kane had dropped off the face of the earth and I never thought about him again. There weren’t even any pictures of him in the house or in the attic.

 

When I came out of my head, I stared at the man across from me. _How could I have forgotten?_ Then I realized that my parents never called him Kane around me except for a couple of times. I could feel a lump in my throat and tears beginning to sting my eyes. The man who encouraged my art from afar more than my mother ever had and always sent me presents for my birthday Christmas until I was eleven was the same man who was sitting across from me now with long hair and a graying beard.

“Uncle K.” I pushed back from my chair and he stood up too, in time for me to crash into him. I cried into his shoulder and he rested his head on top of mine.

“Hey, Picasso.”

I let out a wet chuckle and pulled back, looking up at him. “You got old.” I teased and he reached up to rub his beard.

“I think the beard suits me. You don’t agree?”

“It’s a lot better than that buzz cut and shaved face you had when I first met you. Shaved hair isn’t your thing.”

“You were four when you met me, how do you even remember that?” Kane’s eyebrows arched and I shrugged.

“According to Miller and Murphy she remembers a lot.” I turned around to look at Bellamy who was watching me and Kane. “Except, you know, where she puts her wallet.” Bellamy smirked and I turned back to Kane, everything clicking in my head.

“You’re the one who left the money in my wallet.” I narrowed my eyes at him and he nodded. He motioned towards the seat I had been sitting in so I sat back down. “And you also broke into my house and gave me all new furniture, which was beautiful by the way, but why? It’s obvious you’ve been keeping tabs on me but why not actually come talk to me?”

Kane smiled. “You’re as smart as your father and as sharp as your mother.”

“And I didn’t see you at their funeral.” I mumbled the last part and looked down at my father’s watch. He had given it to me the day he died, telling me that he remembered how much I loved looking at it when I was younger and decided it was time he gave it to me. Then he died later that night.

“I was there, Clarke.” Kane leaned onto the desk. “I’ve always been there.”

I could feel hot tears roll down my face as I forced myself to look up at him. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”

Kane sighed and ran his hands through his hair and I was suddenly struck with the realization at just how similar he and Bellamy seemed despite the fact that Kane wasn’t his real father. “It’s—”

“I swear to god if one more person says something is complicated I’m going to break something.” I grumbled then folded my arms, leaning back in my seat.

“You really are Abigail Griffin’s daughter.” Kane covered his face with his hands and chuckled. I kept glaring at him as Bellamy plopped down into the seat next to me but I could see Bellamy trying not to laugh too.

“Kane?” I tapped my foot on the floor and he looked up. It was as if he had aged a life-time in the span of seconds.

“Okay.” Kane leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of him. “I had hoped I’d never have to worry about you getting brought into this, but now that you have been I think you have the right to know.”

“Know what?” I straightened slightly in my chair and looked at the man across from me. Finn’s voice echoed in my head. _“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, do you?”_

“When I got back home from deployment, I found myself in the middle of something I didn’t like. You already know that my family is what is considered one of _the_ families, along with the Wallace’s and the Emerson’s. Though the Emerson’s are merely specks in the grand scheme of things.” Kane straightened in his chair and leaned against his desk again. “The Wallace’s were slowly taking control over the city. Buying police officers, smuggling drugs, guns, having people killed, and I didn’t like it. So, I came up with a plan to tear down the empire that they’ve been building.”

“And my parents helped you.”

“Yes, they did.” Kane nodded and his eyes grew sad. “I’m so sorry for what happened to your parents, Clarke, but you have to know that they didn’t help me with anything after the first few years after everything got going. They stepped back because they wanted to put you first and even I took a step back because I had my own family to worry about.”

I could feel Bellamy shift beside me and it made me wonder if he ever knew that.

“I have been keeping an eye on you, for years, ever since they died but you had Thelonious watching out for you and as your godfather that’s what he’s supposed to do. But I’ve never been far, Clarke.”

“And, let me guess, you just sent your kids to keep tabs on me?” The memory of Bellamy coming out of the building across the street from my house that first day came back to mind. _He only asked me how I was because he needed to report back. He didn’t actually care._

“Clarke—” Bellamy started but I held my hand up to cut him off.

“Well?” I turned back to Kane and he nodded. “I can’t believe it.”

“You have to understand that I wanted to keep you safe and after your run-in with Cage at my bar that night, after you got your job at Arkadian, I knew that Cage wouldn’t leave you alone and I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“Then why didn’t you just _call?_ You could’ve gotten my number from Jaha, or you could’ve sent me a letter, anything other than having these people _spy_ on me!”

“It’s happened to all of us, Clarke.” Bellamy looked over at me and I forced myself to look at him. “When O and I were younger our lives were shit, but every so often I would end up with more money in my wallet than I had had the day before, or I would come home to groceries being left on my doorstep. School clothes for Octavia, medical bills paid for me because my way of providing for my family wasn’t the smartest. And all the while it was Kane who was doing this for us. Look at Harper. She’s a bubbly person and she’s bright, and one look at her now and you wouldn’t know that she and her mother had to run away from her abusive father and were living on the streets and in homeless shelters until Kane found her. Now, she has a paid education and her mother is living on the west coast on the beach, and neither of them have to worry about that man anymore.”

“Bellamy—”

“And Murphy? His father got shot and killed one night while walking home from the pharmacy with medicine for Murphy because he had the flu. His mother spiraled out of control and drank herself to death and then he was left on the streets to fend for himself, stealing, in and out of juvie, and then one day he woke up with the key in his wallet and an address to this house and his life hasn’t been the same since.”

“Bellamy, I didn’t know.” I could feel tears sliding down my face and they blurred my vision. I reached up and wiped them away.

“No, you didn’t know.” Bellamy took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “What I hope you can understand is, is that Kane has tried his best to give all of us the best life possible. We still do illegal shit, I mean, Jasper and Monty are probably high right now and they make moonshine, Murphy still has sticky fingers from time to time…but, if I’m being honest we all still get high so that pretty much incriminates everyone.” A slight smile made it’s way onto Bellamy’s face. “I get that it sounds bad, but it’s just Kane’s way of taking care of people. At least until he can recruit you.” Bellamy leaned back and smiled at his dad. “Because he really does have a bad habit of taking in wayward and delinquent children.”

“What if I don’t want to be a part of your delinquent kids?” I murmured, looking down at my dad’s watch.

“Then that’s your decision, Clarke. But I can’t guarantee that I won’t still check in with you from time to time.”

I didn’t say anything as I went over everything in my head. _My parents were trying to_ take down _another family? What is this? Some sort of modern day crime boss movie?_ I shook my head and stood up, and Bellamy and Kane did the same. _Did any of them ever really like me or were they just acting like it because it was part of their job?_ I knew the last thought was ridiculous, I had a feeling that Harper and Octavia wouldn’t invite me out just to keep an eye on me and I knew Kane probably wouldn’t have liked the fact that I got high with Jasper at the work get together…

I squared my shoulders and leveled my gaze with Kane. _Like how my mother taught me._ “I need some time to think about it.”

Something flickered in Kane’s eyes and I wondered if he saw my mother in me. He nodded. “I understand. Take all the time you need.”

I looked at him for a beat before nodding my head and turning to walk out the door. I didn’t look at Bellamy, though part of me really wanted to, because I didn’t know if he really liked me or if that was just him trying to play nice since Kane needed him to watch me.

“Clarke, wait!” I heard him call after me but I didn’t turn around.

The first time I met him played in my head. _He just needed to keep an eye on me_. The image of him seeing me in the coffee shop and the look that flashed across his face made sense now. _He hadn’t expected me to be there because they knew my work schedule. They wouldn’t have shown up if they had known I was there_. The memory of Harper showing up after I went grocery shopping came into my head to and I realized that she had been waiting for me to get home. _Finn showing up was because he was keeping an eye on me._ There was Miller and Murphy shooting Jasper a look when he called them his roommates. _I wasn’t supposed to know they were all connected._ Then, there was the night before on the roof of The Ark where I jokingly asked if Bellamy had been keeping tabs on me and the way his face darkened at it. _He had been keeping tabs on me_.

Before I realized it, I had put my shoes on and made my way outside and I was looking around the large driveway. There was a garage on the right side and all three doors were open and I could see Octavia and Harper’s cars, along with another car. Bellamy’s bike was still next to the door, and then there were more cars parked off to the side.

“Jesus, how many cars can one driveway have?” I grumbled to myself then started towards the road, fishing my phone out of my waistband as I went.

“Clarke!” Bellamy’s voice came from the house but I kept walking, debating on if I should call Wells for a ride or just call and Uber. “Clarke, wait.” I heard his footsteps behind me and then his hand was on my shoulder, turning me around to look at him.

“I don’t want to talk, Bellamy.” I practically growled at him. “Give me space to think.”

“And, what? You’re just going to walk home?”

“No, I was thinking about calling Wells to come get me.” I mumbled. “Or an Uber.”

“It would take both of them at least twenty minutes to get here.”

“Then I’ll wait here.” I turned back around but Bellamy spun back to face him.

“Hey, we need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about!” I sighed and ran my free hand over my face. “You only came around because you had a job to do and Octavia and Harper only hang around me outside of work so they can keep an eye on me. I get it, it’s easier to keep an eye on someone when you’re close with them. At least y’all don’t have to worry about that anymore.” I could feel a lump form in my throat and I looked away. Honestly, I had barely known these girls for a month.

“Okay, you and I both know that that’s bullshit.” Bellamy crossed his arms against his chest and I had to force myself not to look at the muscles straining against his shirt. “Everyone in that house likes you, Clarke. Harper comes home and talks about what the two of you did at work and she always talks about how funny you are, but no one ever asks her for an update on you. Not even Kane. When Kane told Octavia to get to know you better, she said that she was already planning on it because she thinks you’re cool. And those two are the ones who picked your furniture out, by the way.”

At Bellamy’s admission I lifted my head up to look at him.

“That night at the work get together for Ark Inc., that’s the first time I’ve seen Jasper willingly offer for someone to smoke with him that wasn’t already part of our friend group and then that night he talked about how chill you had been and he actually wants to see who can smoke the most now since apparently you don’t cough. Miller wants to get to know you and even if Murphy doesn’t admit it, I’m pretty sure he’s wanting to be your friend too. And despite everything with Finn, I know you and Raven would get along.”

“And?” I peered up at him and he tilted his head to the side.

“And?”

“You’ve talked about everyone inside the house, but what about you?” I kept my gaze steady as I looked up at him. “You only checked up on me that day so you could report to Kane—”

“Actually, I wasn’t supposed to talk to you at all. I got in trouble for that.”

“But when you showed up to the coffee shop and I was there, you were surprised. You knew my last shift was Monday and if you had known I was there then you wouldn’t have shown up.”

“I wouldn’t have, you’re right. Kane gave me an order to not be seen by you too much or else you might’ve gotten suspicious, but Octavia wouldn’t stop talking about the coffee shop so I brought her there. Though I can’t say I’m not glad with how things turned out.” He gave me a small smile.

“What about you coming to check up on me the day after the work event? Was that Kane’s doing?”

“Nope, that was all Harper and Octavia. Kane wasn’t too happy about our not-date though, I got in trouble for that too, but I think he didn’t mind as much as he said he did.”

“And last night?” My voice was barely above a whisper. “Did you know I would be at The Ark?”

“No, that was a nice surprise.” Bellamy smiled I could feel my heart beat a little faster. “Look, I’ll be honest. At first I didn’t want to keep an eye on some girl because I knew she came from money and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why Kane was so protective of her.” _Ouch._ “But then I actually met you and I could see why everyone wanted to be around you.” Bellamy reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re _amazing_ , Clarke. You’re so smart, and funny, and you pick up on a lot of little details to where I’m pretty sure you have a better memory than Raven. Just don’t tell her I said that.” Despite myself, I laughed. “I like you, Clarke, and if you don’t want to be a part of this then I don’t blame you, but I’d still like get to know you. And I know there’s no way in hell you’re getting rid of Harper or Octavia.”

Bellamy smiled and I laughed again then he wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. In the morning light, his brown eyes seemed like flowing rivers of brown and his freckles created a galaxy across his face. _He really is gorgeous_. His black hair fell across his forehead and curled at the end and even though I had been resting the urge to run my fingers through it for a long time, I didn’t now. I reached up and carded my fingers through his hair and he leaned into my touch.

“I like you, too.” I murmured and Bellamy smiled.

“That’s a relief. I was worried I’d have to take you out again and insist on calling it a not-date until you told me you liked me.” He teased.

“So does this mean that our not-date was really a date?” I reached up and wrapped my other arm around his neck while my other hand played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Definitely a date.” Bellamy leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. “What do you say to another date? And this time we’ll actually call it what it is.”

I giggled. “I think I’d like that.”

“Good.”

Bellamy leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He tasted like the coffee he had for breakfast and I wondered if I tasted the same. His grip on my waist tightened as he pulled me closer and I gasped, letting him deepen in the kiss. He moved one of his hands up and gripped the back of my head, threading his fingers through my hair and I sighed. Of the people I’ve kissed in my life, Bellamy Blake was the best and it made me wonder if he had to be a good kisser if you looked as hot as him. I tightened my arms around his neck, trying to get us closer when a chorus of _whoops_ and yells came from the house.

The two of us broke apart, panting, then turned around to see everyone leaning out the front windows of the house smiling and pumping their arms in the air. I laughed and buried my head into Bellamy’s shoulder as he put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer, yelling at everyone else to ‘ _go mind their own fucking business’_ which only made me laugh harder. When they were all gone, Bellamy pulled back to look at me.

“Do you still want to go home?”

“Um…” I looked back at the house and was pretty sure I could see Octavia and Jasper still peeking out through the curtains. “You don’t think we have to go face the mob?”

“I think we could go on that other date now.” Bellamy grinned and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach begin to flutter.

“And where would we go?” I asked as Bellamy took my hand and started towards the bike. “I’m not exactly dressed for a day on the town.”

“Wherever the hell we want.” Bellamy’s grin didn’t leave his face as he clipped the helmet onto my head and ducked inside the front door for a second before returning with a leather jacket for me to borrow. He seated himself on the bike but before he turned it on, he looked at me. “Do you trust me?”

“As much as I can trust someone I’ve only known for two weeks,” I teased.

“Then that’s enough.” He helped me onto his bike and it roared to life. He drove us out of the drive and pulled onto the empty road, the excitement of another ride coursing through my veins.

_It’s a date._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannndddd Bellarke makes my heart happy :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	14. A date and a story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy tells Clarke a story

I was pretty sure Clarke was going to run out of the house and demand to never see any of us again, but I could tell that she didn’t believe that we had all lied to her about being her friend. Which, none of us had. And after a couple of weeks to think about what Octavia and Harper had said about me taking Clarke out to eat, I realized that it had been a date. I just didn’t want to admit it. _But damn am I glad I did._

Clarke’s arms tightened around my waist as I pulled onto the levee. We left the house around elven o’clock that morning and we drove around the city until we got hungry, then we stopped at Sonic because Clarke had a craving for a chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie blast. I made a mental note to remember that she apparently loves ice cream.

I asked Clarke where she wanted to go, but she just smiled and told me to surprise her again. So, I drove. I drove outside the city, close to where I lived when I was a kid before my father died and my mother had to move us to somewhere cheaper further into the city. I didn’t mean to drive out there, but there was something about getting away from all of the asphalt and the roar and bustle of people moving from place to place that I felt like everyone needed from time to time. When we got close to the house, I stopped at the end of the driveway.

“What are we doing?” Clarke asked as I turned off the bike and motioned for her to get off.

“I want to show you something.” I smiled as I reached over to unclip her helmet.

“You do know I can take my own helmet off, right?” She titled her head to the side and smiled. Despite having drank a lot the night before, I was glad she didn’t have a hangover.

“I know.” I smirked then placed the helmet on one of the handles and moved my motorcycle farther off the road. When I had it where I wanted it, I reached for her hand and we started down the gravel path.

The house hadn’t been used in a very long time and the grass had grown to where it was nearly to my shoulders. Despite Kane’s instance that he could have the house cleaned up and I could move there, I always waved him off and told him that I didn’t want to think about it. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t stop by the house every now and then to check up on it.

“You’re not going to murder me are you?” Clarke turned to look at me.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I swung our linked hands. “I just want to show you something.”

The driveway wasn’t long, but I could tell that Clarke was wondering where it was going to end. After a turn around a big tree, the old house loomed before us. It wasn’t large by any means, even though it was two stories. There was white paint that had dulled over the years due to neglect and it was peeling. Some shudders were barely holding on by their hinges while others were gone completely, and the front porch was starting to sag.

“Oh, wow.” Clarke’s eyes widened as she took in the house in front of her. “What is this place?”

“My childhood home.” I kept my eyes on the house and all of the memories I tried no to think about came flooding back. “I figured that since we’ve kept things from you, you deserved to know the truth. About me and O.”

I kept her hand in mine as I started towards the porch. Talking about my past, the time before Kane adopted me and my sister, wasn’t something I talked about with most people. I didn’t like reliving those memories, but there was something about Clarke that made me want to tell her sooner rather than later.

“And about Kane?”

“Yeah, and about Kane.” I pushed open the door and it gave away with a huge groan. The inside of the house was dark, but the windows were clear enough to let in some sunlight. There were white sheets over the furniture that my mother hadn’t been able to bring with us. Clarke walked over to one of the sheets and lifted it up.

“Piano?”

“My mother used to play, it was something my father had gotten her as a wedding present.” The memories of my mom playing while my dad and I put together one of those little kid puzzles flooded my mind. It was a mixture of wanting to smile at the memory and be angry at everything that happened since then.  _This is why I never come back here_.

“We can go outside if you want.” Clarke appeared at my side and placed her hand on my arm. “I can tell you’re uncomfortable with being in here.”

“Like I said, you notice everything.” I gave her a tight smile and took a deep breath. “But it’s fine, we can stay.” I took a few more breaths as Clarke wandered over to the living room. “My grandfather had made a lot of money by working on an oil rig, which is how they could afford this house. When they died, they left it to my dad.”

“They certainly had good taste.”

“Yeah, they did.” A small smile tugged it’s way onto my face. “My mom and my dad had been high school sweethearts and my father worked at a mechanic shop for a while but things got a little tight financially a couple of years after they had me and he realized that he would get a bonus if he signed with the army, so that’s what he did.” I walked over to one of the walls and leaned against it. “Things were good for a while, and my parents were happy, but my father got deployed when I was four. I don’t remember much, but I do remember the day the soldiers came to our door to tell my mother that my father had been killed in action.”

“Oh my god.” Clarke came from the direction of the kitchen, her eyes wide. “Bellamy—”

“I was young, Clarke, I barely remember him.”

“But he was your _father_ , Bellamy.” She stopped in front of me. “You remember him enough to know you loved him and that he loved you.”

“I know he loved me, and I can remember being happy, but there’s not much else there.” I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It wasn’t until later that I found out that Kane served with him and made my dad a promise that he’d watch over his family. Of course my mom didn’t want any help, she wanted my dad back, so she basically told Kane to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine and tried her best to make it.

I don’t remember much of what happened, but I remember waking up and hearing voices in the middle of the night. Sometimes my mother would be crying, other times there would be arguing…” I trailed off as I remembered one particular night where I walked in on my mom washing blood off her face. “Then it was just like one day she woke up with a big belly and was telling me I would be having another sibling soon. And I don’t know who Octavia’s dad could be, neither does Kane, but as far as I’m concerned Octavia is a Blake and she is my little sister and that’s all that matters.” I took another deep breath and ran my hands through my hair. “Eventually, my mom couldn’t afford the upkeep and bills for a house like this so we ended up having to move to another place where everything was cheaper in one of the more run-down parts of the city.”

“Why didn’t she sell the house?”

“I have no idea. That’s something I’ve been asking myself for years.” I looked around the room. “She took what she could, but I don’t think she wanted much that would remind her of my dad. Which is why all of this stuff is here.” Clarke rested her head on my shoulder and I could feel myself getting ready to tell the rest of the story. “Once we moved she got a job at a tailoring shop and Octavia grew up learning how to do that too, which is how she was able to hem the dress you wore to the work function, but my mom didn’t make much as a seamstress, so she resorted to… _other things_ to try and make ends meet. What I remember the most is my mom ushering me and O into a closet anytime someone came knocking on the door.”

Clarke didn’t say anything, but I could tell that she understood what I was trying to get at by the way she gripped my hand tighter. “I wanted to take as much of the weight off of her as I could so I tried to find as many odd jobs as possible. When I wasn’t taking care of O I found ways to make money, like mowing grass, and washing cars, but then it wasn’t enough so one night I found my way into an underground boxing match.”

“Underground boxing? That’s really a thing?”

“Only if you know where to look.” I smirked down at her. “No licenses, no regulations, most of it wasn’t even with actual _gloves_ so a lot of people showed up to watch others get their asses kicked. You remember how I said that Kane paid my medical bills?” Clarke nodded. “I could stitch myself up well enough and I could handle a lot of the pain, but sometimes I actually needed a doctor. Little did I know that Kane had been keeping an eye on us, and before long I started to find extra money in my wallet, or bigger payouts than what I should have gotten. I had only seen Kane a handful of times before so there was no way I would have ever pieced together that it was him.”

“I wouldn’t have figured it out either.” Clarke propped her chin up on my shoulder.

“Then one day my mom got really sick. It was quick, and it was unexpected and within four months she was dead. Kane had came into our lives as soon as we found out she was sick when I was sixteen and Octavia was ten. Even though my mom hadn’t wanted anything to do with Kane, or want his help at all, she realized that he would take care of me and Octavia because of the promise he made to our father so she gave him custody. I just learned that Jaha was his lawyer during that whole thing.”

“He was?” Clarke’s head perked up.

“Yeah, I was surprised too.” I kept her hand in mind as I made my way towards the door. “So, as you can imagine I was sixteen with a chip on my shoulder and wondering who the hell this guy was that was promising to take care of me and my sister. One night I got picked up after one of my matches and I had been drinking, so Kane had to come get me and he told me about how he went to my mom and told her that he wanted to help and she turned him down. He told me that he was the one who would put the money in my wallet, and leave the groceries, made sure Octavia had school clothes…all of it. I still didn’t understand why he just didn’t make sure our bills were paid and everything and he told me that he didn’t want to anger our mom anymore than he already had, so he did his best from a distance.”

We made our way outside and I turned to look at the house. I spent six and a half years of my life in this house and it was falling into ruin. _But you could fix it if you really wanted to_. Clarke squeezed my hand and I gave her a small smile before starting back towards my motorcycle.

“It took a little bit, but I realized that without Kane, our lives would’ve been worse then what they had been. I owe him a lot. Especially since he really took us in and treated us like we were his own. He helped me get my act together enough to where I was able to graduate high school with good enough grades to get into college, and he made sure Octavia got the tutors she needed for certain subjects and paid for her dance lessons. She got a scholarship because he made sure she put forth her best effort.”

“So why is it sometimes you’ll call him Kane but other times call him dad?” Clarke asked as she snapped on her helmet. I shrugged.

“It’s hard to explain.” I put on my own helmet then swung my leg over the bike. “Sometimes it’s just easier to say that than have someone start asking questions. Then on one hand he’s a better parent then my mom had been but on the other, I don’t know. It’s like by calling him that it feels like I’m being disrespectful to my own dad.”

“No, I get it.” Clarke murmured as I turned the bike around to face the road. “But you have to know that your dad would want you to be taken care of. He knows you loved him, Bellamy, and I can tell that Kane loves you. It’s not insulting your father’s memory by thinking of Kane as your dad, because that’s what he is. He’s taken care of you and Octavia, and made sure that y’all had a roof over your heads and food in your stomachs. Your dad will always be your dad, but Kane can also be your dad. Your father _wanted_ Kane to look after you.”

I didn’t say anything but I nodded and the bike roared to life. We pulled out onto the road and I started the half hour journey back to the city. I knew that everything Clarke said made sense, but it was still something I was going to have to get used to. I had called Kane dad a few times, but never _to_ him. We rode in silence through the quiet streets of what used to be my home with the wind on our faces and the roar of the motorcycle in our ears. When we got close enough to see the tall buildings in the distance, I realized I didn’t want to get home just yet so I took a turn and headed towards a movie theater.

“A movie?” Clarke asked once I turned the bike off. “You cooked me breakfast, bought me lunch, and now you’re bringing me to a movie?”

“Well you helped cook your own breakfast, but I figured a movie would help us have a reason to not go back home yet.” I took her hand and started towards the ticket booth. “We can make out in the back like we’re still in middle school.” Clarke laughed and I grinned down at her.

“I don’t know what you were doing in middle school but I didn’t make out until I was fourteen and already in high school.”

“You didn’t have your first kiss until you were fourteen?”

“No, I said I didn’t make out until I was fourteen. I had my first kiss at thirteen and a half.”

“How?” I looked down at her. Clarke was beautiful so I found it hard to believe that she hadn’t kissed anyone until she was thirteen.

“I had a couple of people I thought would’ve been my first kiss but,” she shrugged, “never worked out.”

“Then those people were idiots.” I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “Now, which movie do you want to see?”

I wasn’t expecting Clarke to pick _Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw_ but damn was I glad she did. When you grow up with Kane as a classic car fanatic even though you didn’t know much about cars yourself, it rubs off on you. And when everyone else moved in, they all loved cars too. Especially Raven since she was a mechanic.

“I didn’t know you cared about cars.” I said as we took our seats.

“I don’t know much about them, but I like how they look and if they can drive fast.” She smirked over at me. “My dad loved classic cars, which is why he let me get my Mach I.”

“Kane likes classic cars too, maybe that’s something they bonded over.”

“Yeah, maybe.” The corners of Clarke’s mouth turned upwards and she popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. I wasn’t sure how much she suspected we knew about her and I was scared to ask, honestly. What we did was an invasion of privacy, and we knew that, but if it helped keep someone safe then that was what we were willing to do.

Throughout the movie, I kept my arm around Clarke’s shoulders and she leaned into my side. _Hobbs and Shaw_ definitely had enough action and shots of cars to where no one would doubt it was a part of _Fast and Furious_ , but it made me wonder how they went from the first _Fast_ movie to this. But I loved it. Clarke kept a steady line of popcorn coming even though I told her I didn’t want anything when we first got concessions, but I liked how she made sure I wasn’t left out.

When the movie was over, she googled if there were any after credits scenes and we ended up staying for those, which were funny so I was glad we did, and then we headed back to my motorcycle. The sun was nearly gone and the idea of even bringing Clarke back to her house was one I didn’t want to entertain but, ultimately, the decision was up to her.

“Can I go see my house?” She asked once we put on our helmets.

“I don’t like it, but I can’t exactly tell you no.” I gave her a tilted smile.

“No, you can’t.” She smirked at me and motioned for me to get on the bike. _Yes ma’am._ She settled in behind me and we started down the road towards her house. _God, I hope nobody came back_.

 

* * *

 

When Bellamy pulled into my driveway, I was surprised to see just how normal everything looked. I hadn’t gone in the night before, but I knew that my bedroom had been trashed and everything else had been left the same. I swung myself off the motorcycle and unclipped my helmet. The fact that someone had broken into my home without me knowing was enough to make me not want to stay there again, but I reminded myself that it wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for the fact that I forgot to turn on my security system before I left that day. _It’s the whole reason why Wells wanted me to get it._

“I’ll go first, make sure there’s no one in there.” Bellamy placed his helmet on his bike and started towards my front door with me behind him. We had made sure to lock the door last night and turn on my alarm before we left, so I was pretty sure that no one was in there, but I didn’t mind Bellamy taking extra precautions.

He walked in first and once he gave the okay for the living room, dining room, and kitchen, I followed him into the house. No one was there besides us. Bellamy had been right when he said that nowhere else had been harmed, but when I got to my bedroom, my heart sank. _I loved that mattress._ I could feel a lump forming in my throat as I looked at the mess. My mattress was shredded, my dresser mirror was in a million pieces, and my drawers had been taken off their tracks and thrown around the room. I had had all of my bedroom pieces since I was sixteen, so seeing them like this hurt. _My parents gave me this_. Then the worse part was the message painted above my bed. I read it once and shivered, then tried not to look at it again.

I bent down and picked up one of the empty drawers and inspected it. It didn’t look like it was actually broken, which was relief, though I couldn’t say the same about my mirror. When I determined that the drawer was still in working order, I got to work throwing my clothes back into it. It wasn’t until I had almost filled it that I realized some of my clothes had been shredded too. Groaning, I started sifting through the drawer and inspecting my clothes, throwing the ruined pieces towards my door.

“What kind of person doesn’t destroy the drawer but shreds a person’s clothes? That makes absolutely no sense.” I grumbled more to myself than anything but Bellamy heard me.

“They just wanted to make things hard on you. This was meant to scare you but I don’t think they actually wanted to trash everything. Otherwise the rest of your house wouldn’t have survived.”

“But still.” I scowled as I finished with the first drawer of clothes and put it back into one of the slots.

Bellamy and I worked in silence as we went through my stuff, taking care to avoid any of the glass that had fallen into my carpet. He checked the drawers and I tried to get through my underwear as quickly as possible. _The fucker even cut the straps on some of my bras_. I sighed and threw them into the throwaway pile. Bellamy stuck to check my t-shirts and I would throw him some of my pants when he got down with a drawer. Since there was glass in front of my closet, I didn’t want to try and see if any of the clothes in there had survived, but I would have to sooner or later.

Once we placed the last drawer in it’s place, a sound came from the front of the house and I froze. Panicked, I turned towards Bellamy with my eyes wide and he held his finger up to his mouth. The sound came again followed by the squeaking of my door hinges and I backed away from my door. I was about to ask what we were going to do when a familiar voice came from the living room.

“Clarke? Are you here?”

 _Wells._ I started towards my door and could see Bellamy let out a sigh of relief. I barreled out of my room and straight towards Wells who only had a second to react before I plowed into him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you all day but you weren’t answering so I decided to stop by to see if you came back here for some reason.”

“Oh, my phone!” I completely forgot about my phone. I had given it to Bellamy when we stopped to eat because I didn’t like the idea of it riding in my waistband while we rode, and he put it in one of the compartments on his bike.

“I’ll go get it.” Bellamy appeared behind me.

“Thank you.” I smiled at him and he did the same before turning his attention towards Wells. The two of them did that guy thing where they nod at each other before he started towards the door.

“So,” Wells started as soon as the door closed, “you spent all day with motorcycle guy.” He quirked an eyebrow and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“His name is _Bellamy_ but, yes, I spent the day with him.”

“And you spent the night at his house.”

“I know where you’re going with this, Jaha, and I’ll have you know that I slept in his bed and he took the couch.”

“But you really expect me to believe there isn’t something going on?”

I looked at Wells for a moment then I could feel a smile spread across my face. “Okay, so you know how I said he took me out the day after the work thing?” Wells nodded.

“Yeah, and you _insisted_ that it wasn’t a date.”

“Yeah, well, we both agreed that it was a date and he took me out on another date today.” My heart fluttered at how good of a day the two of us had had together. He opened up about his past and I realized that I could trust him, and Kane, and everyone else, but I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to join them and their quest to take out the Wallace’s.

“Oh thank god, I thought the two of you were going to keep skirting around the fact that you liked each other.”

“You were around us _once_ how could you possibly have known he had feelings for me?”

“No one just shows up at another person’s house, despite their sister’s instance, and just up and go ‘oh, let’s go out to eat’ and then ‘oh, let’s go for a ride around the city at night’, Clarke.” Wells crossed his arms and looked at me. I tried holding his gaze, but in the end I knew he was right.

“Fine, you win.” I sighed and threw my hands up. “But this was only a second date.” I turned towards my front door. I could hear Bellamy talking on the phone so I assumed that he was talking to Kane.

“You know, I’m the last person that would ever push you into something, but maybe getting back into actually dating might be a good thing.” Wells’ voice was soft and I brought my eyes up to his. I knew what he was getting at but it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. I had only met Bellamy about three weeks earlier and we had our first date two weeks ago, so everything was still new despite how much I had learned.

“I’m just going to take it one day at a time and live in the moment.” I took a deep breath and gave Wells a small smile. “But I think it’ll be fun.”

“Good.” Wells squeezed my arm and my front door opened.

“Hey, sorry, my dad called.” Bellamy gave me a lopsided smile and handed me my phone.

“It’s fine.” I took my phone and gave him a smile. “I think you two need to be formally introduced.” I motioned between the two of them. “Bellamy, this is my best friend Wells Jaha, Wells, this is Bellamy Blake.” The two of them shook hands. “Wells has been my best friend since the day I was born.”

“Unfortunately.” Wells teased and I swatted at him.

“I feel the same way about my little sister.” Bellamy grinned.

“Yeah, the girl from the coffee shop. I’m glad she’s doing better.”

“Thank you.” I could tell Bellamy had been shocked that Wells remembered what happened to his sister, but it seemed like he appreciated it.

Bellamy turned to me. “So, I have to head out soon but my dad said that you were more than welcome to stay another night if you wanted.”

I wanted to spend more time with Bellamy, but there was something in his eyes that made me realize that it wasn’t exactly _dinner_ that he was going to. Though I would probably have dinner with everyone else.

“Tell him I appreciate it but I don’t want to overstay so I think I’ll just bother Wells and his dad since I can’t exactly sleep on a shredded mattress.”

“Wait, your mattress is shredded?” Wells’ eyes went wide and I realized I hadn’t told him everything that happened.

“Yeah, Bellamy helped me get my drawers back into my dresser, but my mirror is shattered and my bed is shredded.” Wells started towards my room and I didn’t know if I wanted him to see the message that was above my bed. “Um…” I looked towards Bellamy, hoping he would know what I should do, and he nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.”

Wells started towards my bedroom door and I turned towards Bellamy as soon as Wells was out of earshot. “It’s not dinner your going to, is it?” I whispered.

“No, it’s a meeting with one of our allies. He needs me there so we can start making a plan for our next move.”

“Is it dangerous?” The idea of Bellamy getting hurt at something like this caused my heart to constrict.

“No, we have a good relationship with them. Don’t worry.” Bellamy ran his hand up and down my arm and I nodded. “But are you sure you don’t want to come back to the house? I’m sure Octavia and Harper are dying for you to tell them where we’ve been all day.” Bellamy gave me a lopsided smile.

“I want to, but I think I have to talk to Jaha about some things.” I heard Wells shut my bedroom door, mumbling something to himself. “But I’ll still text you, okay?” I brought my voice back up as Wells approached.

“Okay, babe.” Bellamy leaned down and gave me a quick kiss before looking at Wells. “I hate to head out but dinner is a big deal at our house so I can’t miss it.”

“No, I get it, my dad is the same way.” Wells held out his hand. “Maybe we can get together some day and I can tell you all of the embarrassing stories I have about this one.” Wells pointed at me and I swatted his hand away.

“Sounds good to me.” Bellamy smirked then turned and looked at me.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Of course.” I leaned up on my tip toes and kissed his cheek. “Drive safe.”

“Always.”

With one last wave, Bellamy was gone. I heard Bellamy’s bike start and listened as the sound got farther and father away. _You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, do you?_ I pushed Finn’s voice out of my head and turned my attention to Wells.

“So, to your place?”

Wells had been looking down at the ground, not saying anything, but when I nudged him he looked up. “Yeah, let’s go.” He motioned for me to head out the door and he stopped and turned on my alarm before turning off the lights and locking my door behind him.

We drove in silence for a while and I could tell that Wells was having a hard time wrapping his head around everything. “Think I should tell your dad about what happened?”

“Yes.” Wells answered immediately. “I didn’t tell him because I didn’t have the details but you need to tell him, Clarke.”

“Yeah, I figured.” I sighed and leaned my head back against the headrest.

“We’ll help you.” Wells glanced at me and I turned to look at him.

“I know, Wells.” I reached over and squeezed his hand.

_With all of this help, how bad could things really get?_

 

* * *

 

Jaha had welcomed me with open arms as soon as Wells and I stepped into his house, but he excused himself and said that he had some business to attend to and that it looked like it was going to be a late dinner for him. Wells and I told him not to work too hard then made our way into the kitchen and when I frowned at the vegetables in their fridge, Wells laughed and placed an order for a pizza.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had actually spent the night over at Wells’ house, though I did join them for breakfast a decent amount during the semester and Wells and I studied together a decent amount. Though I knew I always had an open welcome, I liked being alone most of the time. The two of us migrated to the living room and I wrestled the remote away from Wells and turned on Netflix, determined to pick up where we left off on _Supernatural_.

“You do know that this much T.V. will rot your brain, right?” Wells poked his toe at me and I swatted his socked feet away from me.

“I barely watch T.V., remember? I don’t have cable, or satellite, and even though I have a Netflix account, I don’t have internet.”

“Which still baffles me. I don’t know how you make it through college without Wi-Fi. I would go crazy if I was at the library that much.”

“Well, maybe with the pay bump I’m getting from Arkadian I’ll be able to afford it now.”

“Hopefully.” Wells raised his eyebrows at me. “I’m ready to start mooching off your Netflix.”

“Oh, I’ll be rolling in money soon enough.” I joked then we turned our attention back to the T.V.

We sat there, sprawled out on the couch not talking for one episode and then as the second one was starting, my phone went off. A text from Bellamy.

**Bellamy**

**Bellamy:** This meeting is boring

_Attachment: 1 image_

The picture was obviously taken from below a table and Bellamy had his head propped up in one of his hands while pouting slightly at the camera. I smiled at the picture.

 **Clarke:** U could always ditch ;)

 **Bellamy:** Are you trying to get me to skip out on my job?

I grinned.

 **Clarke:** Oh, I would never ;)

 **Clarke:** Well, as long as ur safe

 **Bellamy:** I’m definitely safe, you don’t need to worry about me x

 **Clarke:** Okay, I guess I’ll believe u :)

 **Bellamy:** Kane is giving me the stink eye, I think I’m in trouble. I’ll text you when the meeting is over

 **Clarke:** Tell Uncle K I said hi lol talk to u soon xx

“Jeez, you’re almost as bad as when you were a teenager.” Wells snorts just as the doorbell rings from the front door. “ _Finally.”_ He stands up and pulls out his wallet, making his way towards the door.

The smell of cheese, pepperoni, and bacon wafts into the living room and my stomach immediately begins to growl. Bellamy and I hadn’t eaten anything substantial since lunch and the popcorn and drink I had at the movie didn’t last long in my stomach. Wells handed me the box while he went to grab some plates and I opened it up, already digging in.

Wells came back and chuckled at me stuffing my face and handed me a plate as he took the pizza box from me. The night with Wells was so normal given the situation of the last twenty-four hours. I hoped that no matter how hectic our lives got, we would always have this. I was just starting on my third piece of pizza when Jaha’s raised voice came from his office. The two of us stopped eating and looked at each other.

Without a second thought, I stood up, placing my piece of pizza and my plate onto the coffee table, and silently made my way to the hallway that Jaha’s office was down before Wells could get me to stop. I always kept socks on in their house because I liked sliding across their hardwood floors, this time it allowed me to creep towards the closed door of Jaha’s office.

“I don’t care, I don’t want her involved in this.” His voice was muffled behind his thick wooden door and I strained to hear it. My phone buzzed lightly from the waistband of Raven’s leggings and I pulled it out. Another text from Bellamy.

_Kane is talking to Jaha_

Everything clicked.

 _I’m listening to Jaha’s end of it_  
Secretly  
Outside his office door  
oops

“I don’t care, Marcus! She’s my goddaughter, her parents trusted me to keep her safe.”

_You are a delinquent ;)_

“That is not your place!” Jaha’s voice rose and I felt Wells’ hand wrap around my bicep, but I didn’t turn to look at him. “ _She_ gets to choose what she wants to do, but until then I will not have you putting thoughts into her mind about how the city needs to be saved.”

The conversation went silent for a long time and I let my eyes flick towards Wells’. He didn’t seem to know what to make of the situation and, quite frankly, neither did I. I could feel my heartbeat thrumming in my ears and I gripped Wells’ arm. There was no reason for me to feel so anxiety ridden given the fact that I was standing inside the Jaha house, a place I had been more times than I could count over my life.

“Why didn’t you _tell me_ he broke into her house?” _So, Kane just told him about Emerson._ “I should’ve been told as soon as you found out, Marcus. It’s my job to keep her safe, not yours.” There was more silence. “I see. Good night, Marcus.”

I cocked my head to the side and listened as Jaha poured himself a drink from his decanter and then sat down in his leather desk chair. I took a deep breath then turned on my heel and walked back towards the living room, pulling Wells after me. He was quiet as I pulled him down on the couch with me and picked up my pizza again. But that didn’t last long.

“Who was he talking to?”

“Um…” I glanced at Wells then remembered I hadn’t texted Bellamy back. “Give me a second.” I stood up, bringing my pizza with me, and made my way to the second floor and into the guest room I had commandeered as my room when I was younger. I pulled out my phone and clicked the call icon on Bellamy’s contact. He answered on the first ring.

“Hey, everything okay?”

“Yeah, It’s fine.” I took a bite of my pizza. “So, I listened to the conversation but so did Wells and he asked me who Marcus was. I know Jaha said that he didn’t want me pulled into this, so I know he definitely doesn’t want his son pulled in, and I don’t know what I should do.”

I could hear Bellamy whistle down the line. “That’s a tough one.” He rustled some papers on his end then I heard the creaking of his bed springs. “Jaha wants to protect you because he feels like it’s his job, but then again so does Kane. Wells wants to help you because you’re his best friend.”

“Wells was the one who told me about the families. I’m surprised he didn’t know Kane’s first name was Marcus.”

“Maybe Jaha wanted to keep it that way.”

“Probably.” I sighed and took another bite of my pizza and mulled over everything. “He doesn’t even know that Emerson is the one that ransacked my house. Well, not yet. I was waiting until Jaha was asleep to tell him.”

“Well if you’re going to tell him about that, maybe wait and see how he processes it before telling him anything else.”

“Yeah, I think that would work. Do you think that Kane would be upset that I told Wells who he is?”

“I think he would understand.”

“Okay, cool.” I let out a breath. “Thanks for helping me with my little crisis.”

“What are boyfriends for?” I could hear the smile in Bellamy’s voice then I heard someone call from his end of the phone. “Now it’s actual dinner time so I have to go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay. Tell everyone I say hi.”

“Will do. Maybe I can see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” I smiled and bit at my bottom lip. “Goodnight, Bellamy.”

“Goodnight, babe.”

I smiled and finished off my pizza then slipped my phone back into my waistband and made my way back downstairs. Wells was still on the couch finishing off his third slice of pizza when I settled back into my spot. He looked over at me and I took a deep breath. _Well, there’s no time like the present._

“Okay, so, I know I didn’t tell you who trashed my place—”

“You _know_ the person who did it? Who put that weird warning on your wall?” Wells sat up straighter. “Who was it? We’ll get them arrested. They’re threatening you.”

“It’s not that easy, Wells.” I ran a hand over my face. “But you should be able to put two and two together from that night.”

“Emerson?” Wells’ eyes widened. “ _Emerson_ did that to your room? Are you sure?”

“Who else could it have been? He told me to be careful about how I talk to people who could ruin my life then later that night I come home to my bedroom trashed and a warning to watch what I say? That just can’t be a coincidence.”

Wells was quiet for a long time before he finally said, “no, it can’t be.”

“I’m still going to talk to Jaha about it, but at least now he knows who did it.”

“Speaking of, how did that Marcus guy know? Did you talk to him? Did Bellamy tell him?”

“I don’t know if—”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Clarke. If this concerns you then it concerns me. It always will.”

I looked at my best friend, trying to get my thoughts together. “I think you already have an idea who Marcus is.” I tilted my head to the side and looked at him. “Come on, Wells, use that over-sized brain of yours.” I teased and I could see the corners of Wells’ mouth turn up before the realization hit him.

“Kane. He’s Marcus _Kane._ ”

“Yeah.”

“What— _how_ do _you_ know Marcus Kane?”

“He was friends with my parents. I didn’t know his name was Kane, though. My parents called him Marcus and he asked me to call him K. I haven’t seen him since I was kid; I had completely forgotten that he existed if I’m being honest.”

“How did you get in touch with him again? He’s a dangerous guy, Clarke.”

“He found me.” I said simply. “He said that my parents were his best friends and he wanted to make sure I was doing okay.” I hesitated. “And he may also be Bellamy and Octavia’s dad. Well, he adopted them.”

Wells’ mouth dropped open. “What the fuck kind of movie shit is this?”

My eyebrows shot towards my hairline. “Wells Jaha you need your mouth washed out with soap,” I teased but Wells didn’t look amused.

“What else aren’t you telling me?” He narrowed his eyes at me and my heart rate picked up.

“W—”

“Ah, there you two are.” Jaha appeared at the end of the hallway. He had changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, his suit from earlier no where to be seen. “Thank you for leaving me two slices.” He walked over and picked up the pizza box, though the pizza had gone cold. “I’m hoping the three of us can have breakfast together tomorrow. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”

“Yeah, sure, Uncle Theo, sounds great.” I smiled and he nodded, returning it.

“Perfect. Try not to stay up too late!” He started back towards the hall and disappeared with the leftover pizza.

 “So?” Wells leaned towards me. “I need to know what you’re hiding.”

“But your dad doesn’t even want me knowing about this, so I can’t imagine him wanting you to know about it too.”

“Since when do you care about stuff like that?” Wells smirked at me and I could feel my resolve beginning to waver. I’ve told Wells everything since we were little kids, and the thought of not being able to talk to him about this, ever, was something I didn’t want.

“Okay, but what I tell you right now, you’re not allowed to repeat. Got it? This stays between us.”

“Scouts honor.” Wells held up his hand and I snorted. “Fine, pinky promise.”

“Pinky promise.” We latched our pinkies together and I could feel my mouth turn up in a smile.

So, I told him everything. From the money, which he already knew about, to meeting Finn in the coffee shop, to seeing Octavia, the bartenders from the work function, Emerson, Cage, and how all of them ended up being connected because of one man and his drive to keep an eye on me. I could see Wells’ face morph from surprise to worry to anger as I talked, and when I finished he let out a low whistle.

“That’s, uh, crazy.”

“Tell me about it.” I sighed and leaned back against the cushions.

“And, don’t take this the wrong way because I’m just trying to look out for you, but do you think that Bellamy’s feelings are, you know, real?”

My heart stuttered. “I want to believe so.” I murmured more to myself than anything. “Bellamy told me that even if I chose not to have anything to do with any of them, he would still want to see where this goes.”

“Okay.” Wells stared at a fixed point on the coffee table.

“What?”

“Nothing, just okay.” He glanced up at me. “You obviously like this guy, and I’m not going to try and stand in the way of that, but if he hurts you because of this shit…” Wells trailed off and I reached over, grabbing his hand.

“I know.”

“Come on, I think we’ve had enough for one night.” Wells stood up. “And we have breakfast in the morning.”

“I think I might stay out here on the couch tonight, this T.V. is bigger.”

“Alright, suit yourself.” Wells stretched. “Try not to drool on my favorite pillow.”

“Ha-ha.” I rolled my eyes then laid down, pulling the blanket that had been draped across the couch on top of me. “Goodnight.”

“Night, Griffin.”

I settled into the couch and listened to Wells’ footsteps disappear up the stairs and heard his door close lightly. I could feel sleep beginning to pull me under and I tried to calm my mind enough so I could rest. So many things that happened and my mind coming up with a bunch of _what if_ scenarios. _Kane, Emerson, Cage, Bellamy_ …I turned the T.V. down and blanked my mind, covering my face with my blanket. Then sleep pulled me away.

 

* * *

 

Knowing that Clarke was at the Jaha house made me feel better than if she would have insisted on staying at her house and sleeping on the couch, but I would have felt a lot better had she came back to stay with me. Though I knew she needed to spend time with her friends, but Wells and his father were pretty much her only family at this point.

Sitting around the game room with everyone while we ate our late dinner I found myself drifting from the conversation to my thoughts. The meeting with Azgeda went as well as it could have, all things considering. Roan’s people were beginning to get antsy with the amount of waiting they were being told to do, and Roan was getting annoyed as well.

While Kane wasn’t one to deal in drugs or weapons himself, disrupting the Wallace and Emerson operations was one way to make sure they stayed out of the city. We just needed to intercept the next incoming shipment of coke that Emerson was planning with someone named Lovejoy. That was the routine, intercept the shipment before the drugs could be spread across the city and then Roan would take the supply and half the profits with us. Kane didn’t ask _where_ he sold the drugs, but Roan assured him that it was dealt with accordingly. Same thing happened with Indra.

“Bellamy?” Raven tapped him on the side of the head and he turned to look at her.

“Huh?”

“I _said_ how the hell did Clarke storming out end up with the two of you making out.”

“I just explained the situation.”

“So you told her you stalked her and jumped your bones? I knew she was crazy.” Murphy mumbled around a forkful of spaghetti.

I threw a wadded up paper towel at him. “I told her that I did what Kane asked, but that I got in trouble for talking to her, and taking her out, and bringing her back here.”

“Was she upset?” Octavia asked from her place across from me. Harper looked at me too.

“We haven’t talked to her all day.” Harper added quietly.

“She brought up that the two of you only hung out with her outside of work so y’all could keep an eye on her, but she didn’t believe it. So, I told her the truth. That the two of you actually enjoy her company and really do want to be her friends.”

“What about me?” Jasper sat up straighter in his bean bag.

“I told her about how you wanted a smoke off, don’t worry.”

“Cool.” Jasper smiled and leaned back. _He’s so high._

“She likes my green initiative and she’s fun to talk to. Did you count me in on that friends list?” Monty asked from his place beside Harper.

“Yeah, me too.” Miller didn’t take his eyes off the video game he was playing. “She seems cool.”

“Yeah, same here.” Raven piped up and everyone turned to look at her. “What? I know it’s not her fault with what happened with Finn. Is it that surprising that I actually want to get to know her?”

“No, it’s not.” I smiled at her. “I think the two of you would really get along.”

“Great, you all want to be friends with a crazy person.” Murphy grumbled as he stood.

“Well we are friends with you, aren’t we Murphy?” Harper smiled up at him and he rolled his eyes.

“Stuff it, McIntyre.” Murphy yawned. “I’m going to bed, keep it down or I’ll make your lives hell.”

“I told her you’d want to be her friend too, Murphy, don’t worry.” I called after him and he flipped me off.

“So, you’re actually a thing now, right?” Octavia turned her attention towards me grinned. “No more dancing around each other and going on more ‘not-dates’?”

“Yeah,” I couldn’t help my smile. “No more not-dates.”

“Yes!”

“Finally!”

Octavia and Harper high-fived while Jasper and Monty self-fived and Raven and Miller just chuckled and shook their heads. It was silly to believe that I would be able to push my feelings for Clarke away after getting to know her even more after that first night together. Over the two weeks that we talked, even though it wasn’t much, I found just how funny and smart she was. She was amazing. _Is_ amazing.

“Alright, before any of you can corner me, I’m going to sleep too.” I stood up and stretched. “But the two of you should text her tomorrow, I’m sure she’d like to hear from you.” I smiled at Octavia and Harper and they nodded their heads.

“Definitely.”

“Don’t worry, big brother, I think we got that under control.” Octavia grinned at me. “Go get some sleep.”

“Yeah, you look like shit, Blake.” Raven smirked at me. “Obviously the couch doesn’t allow you to have your proper beauty rest.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her off. “Night.”

“Night, Bell.”

I made my way upstairs and into my bedroom. I changed out of my jeans and put on my pajama pants then slid into bed. With all of the events from the day I could feel myself being weighed down but the thought of seeing Clarke tomorrow and having Octavia, Harper, and possibly Raven reaching out to her as well made me feel better. I rolled over and pulled a pillow closer to me. The situation with Clarke went a lot more smoothly than what I had originally thought, which was great, but the thought of Clarke being brought into this mess was not something I was happy about.

 _Kane knows what he’s doing_. I closed my eyes and sighed, willing those thoughts to go away. Kane’s priority is trying to keep Clarke safe, so I had to believe that he wouldn’t do anything to but her in harm’s way. He even told her that she was free to choose to not have anything to do with us and he would still keep an eye on her. I yawned and felt myself slip into the darkness even more. _One day at a time_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will start picking up soon, but I liked Bellamy opening up to Clarke. With all of the lying going on and secrets that had been kept, I think she deserved it :)
> 
> I hope you liked it and I love hearing from you guys! Xx


	15. Everyone needs a break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke talks with Jaha and spends some time with her (new) favorite people
> 
> I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes!

I woke up to the smell of bacon drifting throughout the house and soft sunlight filtering through the curtains. When I was younger, I always thought that waking up in the Jaha household was pretty amazing and that hasn’t changed. I slowly sat up and stretched. Despite having spent the night on the couch, it felt like some of the best rest I had had in weeks. I threw the blanket off and padded my way into the kitchen where Jaha was standing at the stove flipping bacon.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw you cook.” I yawned then took a seat at the bar.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had breakfast so I figured, why not?” The bacon popped and sizzled in the pan and Jaha jumped back. “Could you go wake up my son? If you’re up before him then he’s just being difficult.”

“One annoyed Wells coming up.” I slid out of the kitchen and made my way upstairs to Wells’ room. His door was closed but I could hear him talking on the other side of it, and he didn’t sound happy.

“You know it’s nothing like that.” I leaned in closer to the door. “Because we haven’t sat down and had a meal together in a while, that’s it. He’s her godfather, we’ve been friends since we were babies, you really can’t—Sasha, look, I like you a lot, but I will not turn my back on my best friend, who is like my _sister_ , just because you have misplaced jealousy.”

_Sasha? Oh shit._

“I never said you couldn’t come, I _said_ that were having breakfast together and that we could hangout afterwards but if you want to come then great. The two of you will finally get to meet.” Wells was quiet for a while and it made me wonder if he was getting yelled at, but then finally he said, “of course, I gotta go so I’ll text you when we’re done and we can go see a movie or something. Alright, bye.”

When I heard the sound of Wells’ feet hitting the floor, I backed up until I felt myself pressed against the far wall then I crossed my arms and leaned against it. Growing up together, we both had our fair share of liking someone who didn’t like the fact that our best friend was someone of the opposite sex. Because apparently guys and girls can’t be best friends without harboring some sort of feelings for one another. But, no matter what, Wells and I had always told them the same thing: we were best friends and they could either take it or leave it.

Wells opened his door, rubbing his eyes and sighing as he did so, then he stopped when he saw me across from him. I tilted my head to the side. “So, how is your relationship life?”

“You heard that, huh?” Wells yawned.

“Oh yeah.” I walked forward and linked my arm with his. “How bad is it?”

“She’s definitely not happy, but then again none of them ever were. Were they?”

“Nope, definitely not.” I patted his arm. “Maybe she just needs to meet me. But considering _I_ was the one who told you to go over there and talk to her in the first place, I think she should be thanking me.”

“I even told her that you were the one who told me to go talk to her and she came back saying that you probably only did that because you wanted to seem like a supportive friend when in reality you were just trying to hide your feelings for me.”

“You did tell her I had been making out with a girl not even five minutes before that, right?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, well, we’re going on a double date.”

“We are?”

“Yes. I know you like this girl, _really_ like this girl, and I’m not going to sit back and watch this relationship crash and burn because she believes she has to be jealous of me.” I let go of Wells and slid across the hardwood floor. “Besides, she hasn’t passed my inspection yet and the two of you have been dating for a month at this point.”

“And this way, I get to spend more time with Bellamy.” Wells smiled. “Double date interrogation time.”

“Double date interrogation?” Jaha’s voice echoed from the kitchen. “I thought we were having breakfast?”

“Just some relationship trouble on his end, but we’re fixing it.” I smiled as I wandered over to the plate of bacon. “Is the food ready?”

“Almost, why don’t the two of you go set the table?”

“Okay, we got it.”

Having breakfast with the two of them made me feel as if nothing had changed. We passed the food around, and made small talk while we ate. Jaha didn’t ask much, just if there were any events that I was going to accompany Wells to and how I liked Arkadian. Despite the fact that I worked in the same building as him, I rarely saw him.

“And what’s this about relationship trouble?” Jaha asked, looking a his son. “I thought you and Sasha were getting along.”

“We are, she just didn’t like Clarke spending the night. Or her staying for breakfast.”

“Just the same stuff that usually happens, Uncle Theo, because as everyone knows I’m just hopelessly in love with your son.” I smiled and batted my eyes at Wells then we all started laughing.

“Ah, I was hoping that wouldn’t be an issue any more. People should realize that if something were to happen between the two of you, it would have already happened. Is this where the double date interrogation is coming in? I didn’t even know you were seeing someone, Clarke.”

I could feel my cheeks turn red. “We’ve been talking for a couple of weeks but only made it official yesterday.”

“Well, I’d like to meet them. Maybe I can join the two of you in the interrogation.” Jaha teased then his phone went off. “I need to take this, carry on without me.” He stood from his chair and walked towards the living room.

“That would be a fun meeting. ‘Hey, Uncle Theo, this is my boyfriend who happens to be Marcus Kane’s adoptive son’.” I sighed and rest my head in my hands.

“He’s going to find out sooner or later.” Wells mumbled around a mouthful of biscuit.

“I choose later.” I grumbled then stole a piece of bacon off Wells’ plate. “We need to handle your love life first.”

“Speaking of, I actually need to get ready for that.” Wells wiped off his mouth and stood up. “Think Bellamy would be up for a movie?”

“I don’t think I want to sit next to you while you stick your tongue down your girlfriend’s throat.” I scrunched my face up. “We don’t have to be that close.”

“Alright, just thought I’d ask.” Wells grinned. “But maybe we can get together this evening or next weekend or something.”

“Yeah, definitely.” I stood up too and grabbed my plate. “Go get ready because you have to drop me off at home before you go out.”

“Bossy.” Wells rolled his eyes then made his way out of the dining room.

I started clearing away the dishes and by the time I was wiping the dining table down, Jaha walked back into the room. “Work never seems to end.” He took the rag from my hands and began wiping. “Where’d he go?”

“He’s getting ready for this date.” I smirked but the realization that I needed to talk to Jaha about everything that had happened came back into my mind. I dreaded having that conversation, but there was no getting around it. Especially since Kane had already told him about my house getting broken into. “But, I actually need to talk to you.”

“Clarke—”

“I know you know about someone trashing my bedroom, and I was planning on talking to you about it this morning, Kane just beat me to it.”

“Did you listen in on my conversation last night?” Jaha stopped wiping and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Maybe.” I looked up at him. “But, I know that what Kane is doing is dangerous, and I know that my parents didn’t want to help him because of me, and I don’t even know if I want any part of it, but I do know that I should be the one to make this decision for myself. No one is putting thoughts into my head, but this is something I need to figure out on my own. I know you feel like you need to protect me, but I think this is something only I can do.”

Jaha didn’t say anything for a long time, and the room was quiet enough to where I could hear Wells moving around on the second floor. I toed at the ground, messing with the edge of the rug while waiting for him to respond. Eventually, he pulled out a chair and sat down, sighing.

“All I have ever wanted to do is protect you, and my son, but I knew there would come a time where I would have to let you make decisions for yourself. But this is not something I feel comfortable with you handling on your own.”

“But I wouldn’t be alone.” I moved around the table and sat down beside him. “I have you, and Wells, and Kane, and—and I know I’ll be fine.” I almost told him about Bellamy, but I felt like that was a conversation for another time.

“Clarke.” Jaha sighed again before turning to look at me. “I trust you and while I don’t like the idea of you getting involved in any of this, I’m not going to stop you. But I would appreciate it if you could keep me in the loop with what is happening and I’ll ask the same thing of Marcus.”

I smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I leaned down and gave him a hug. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Of course, Clarke.” When we pulled apart, Jaha looked older than I had ever seen him. “Now, tell me about this man who’s captured your attention.”

“Oh, um—”

“She would if she could but we have to get going so I don’t miss my date.” Wells popped up around the corner and smiled at us. “So, you ready?”

“Yeah, all set.” I turned back to Jaha. “I’ll keep you updated, I promise.”

“Thank you. Now, be careful, both of you.”

“Of course, dad.” Wells grabbed my wrist and started pulling me towards the front door. “Bye!”

We slid into Wells’ car and he pulled out of his driveway. “How much time do you have until you’re supposed to pick up Sasha?”

“An hour. I figured I’d bring you to get some paint before I brought you home.”

“Aw, you were keeping me in mind.” I grinned at him.

“Yeah, yeah.” Wells stopped at a stop sign. “Anything in particular you’re thinking about painting?”

“I was thinking a cityscape. Like the Arkadia skyline from on top of the Ark.”

“If there’s anyone who could pull that off, it would be you.”

“I’m glad you have that much faith in me.” I chuckled then turned up the radio.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until noon that I had a chance to text Clarke, between breakfast, an impromptu meeting, and a one-on-one talk with Kane about my relationship with Clarke. It was normal, seeing Kane protective over the rest of us, but seeing him so protective over Clarke was a change of pace. His conversation with Jaha from the night before seemed to be replaying in his head because he stressed that her safety, along with all of our safety, is his top priority. He also admitted that knowing I would be with her more would help him sleep better at night.

“Come on, Bell, you’re driving like a grandpa.” Octavia bounced up and down in her seat as I pulled onto Clarke’s road.

“We’re almost there, O, calm down.”

“Well, she does have a point.” Harper piped up from the backseat.

“I am never driving any of you anywhere ever again.” I grumbled.

“Hey, we didn’t do anything!” Jasper and Monty protested and I tried to suppress my laugh.

“Okay, when we get there, let me go in first.”

“And we’ll come in after and surprise her!” Harper grinned.

“Are you sure she’s okay with us just showing up?”

“One way to find out.” I shrugged then pulled into her driveway and Miller pulled of to the side of the road. “Come inside in five.”

I hopped out of Kane’s truck and made my way up Clarke’s front steps. She said she would turn off her security system when I told her I was headed to her house and told me where her spare key was. I unlocked her door and slipped inside. There was music coming from her bedroom where her door was cracked open and my smile widened as I neared it.

When I reached her room, I opened the door even more and grinned when I saw her. She was wearing an gray t-shirt with holes in it and was dancing around to “American Pie” while painting her wall. She texted me about how wells brought her to get paint then she cleaned up the glass on her floor. She didn’t notice me standing there, and I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt her. She hopped off the stool she had been standing on and held the paintbrush up to her mouth, using it as a microphone.

 _“Do you believe in rock and roll?_  
Can music save your mortal soul?  
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

_Well, I know that you're in love with him  
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym…”_

Clarke started twisting around the room and when the chorus started, she threw her hands in the air and spun around. Watching her be so carefree and happy made my chest do funny things, and I would’ve done anything to keep that smile on her face. She must’ve caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye because she quit dancing and her cheeks turned red, but she kept smiling as she skipped over to me and threw her arms around my neck, giving me a kiss.

“Hi.” She smiled up at me.

“Hey, gorgeous.” I leaned down and kissed her again. “I didn’t want to interrupt you, you looked like you were having fun.” I smiled at her.

“You can interrupt me anytime.” She winked then turned to turn her speaker down. “So, I know it’s not finished but what do you think about it so far?” She motioned towards the mural she had been doing.

One look and I knew it was the view of Arkadia from the roof of the bar, and even though I tried my best to find the words under the base layer of paint, I couldn’t see the message that had been left. I could see the bridge beginning to take place on the left side of the painting, and the making of the river; despite it not being done, it still looked pretty great.

“I love it. You’re doing a really good job.”

“You think so?” Clarke turned her wide eyes towards me. I know Wells always says that my art is good, but he kind of has to.”

“It’s good, trust me.” I grinned at her and smiled, nodding her head.

“I think I can do that.”

There was commotion on her front porch and she turned to look down her hallway. “What’s that?”

“It’s a surprise.” I grabbed her hand and guided her towards her front door just in time for Octavia and Harper to spill into the house with everyone behind them.

“Clarke!” Octavia grinned.

“Surprise!”

“We thought we’d come say hi.”

Clarke got crushed into a hug by Octavia and Harper, followed by Jasper. “We’re sorry for not telling you the truth.”

“Yeah, but we really do love being your friends.”

“Don’t worry about it, guys.” Clarke laughed. “I didn’t think you were really lying about that.”

“Good.” Harper grinned.

“I can’t believe you’re all here.” Clarke stepped back and looked at everyone while motioning for them into her house and I stayed beside her.

“I thought we could all have a day together and get to know one another better.” I rubbed the back of my neck and gave her a lopsided smile. “I probably should have asked but—”

Clarke leaned up on her tip toes and kissed me. “I love that idea.” She smiled as she turned back to everyone. “But I need to change out of my painting clothes so, make yourselves at home. I’ll be out in like two minutes.”

I watched as Clarke turned on her heel and started towards her bedroom. Everyone was looking around her house and, I had to admit, Octavia and Harper had done a good job with picking out her furniture. Jasper and Monty took the couch while Miller hovered by the door and Murphy made his place in her armchair.

“You guys did good.” Miller said as he looked around the room. “I wonder what this place looked like before she got the furniture.”

“Not good, believe me.” Harper’s eyes went wide and Miller chuckled.

“So, where exactly are we going? I didn’t decide to lose sleep to not do anything.” Murphy grumbled from his spot.

“I figured we’d grab something to eat then go from there.”

“Oh, can we get coffee?” Octavia perked up. “I loved that frozen mocha from Highland.”

“Yeah, I want to check that place out too.” Raven stood up straighter from her place against the wall. “Apparently it’s supposed to be really good.”

“And I can see Maya!” Jasper grinned.

“Sure, if everyone is up for it.” There was a chorus of agreements around the room.

“Alright, I think I’m all set.” Clarke appeared at the end of her hallway and I turned to look at her. Her hair was still thrown up in a bun and she had paint smeared across her hands, but she looked so soft and beautiful that I found it hard to look away. “What?” A small smile played across her face and it made my heart melt.

“Nothing, you look wonderful.” I stood up and held out my hand. “Let’s go grab something to eat.”

“Sounds good to me.” Clarke linked her fingers with mine and leaned into me. “Lead the way.”

The decision on where to eat ended up being a hole-in-the-wall burger place right around the corner from Clarke’s house and the coffee shop that everyone wanted to go to. The burger place was small, so small that pretty much our entire group took up all of the available seats, but it allowed us to have conversations that included everybody.

“So, Clarke, what are you studying?” Miller asked as he threw a fry in his mouth.

“Y’all don’t know that?” Clarke looked up from where she was putting ketchup onto her burger and I couldn’t help but tense. Everyone else did the same. “I’m sorry,” her eyes went wide, “I just don’t know what all of you know and don’t know.”

“Not much, if we’re being honest.” Raven leaned her elbows onto the table. “We kept an eye on you, and we figured out your work schedule, but we didn’t do as much digging as we usually do because Kane told us it wasn’t necessary.”

“But we do know about your parents,” Monty looked at her from the other side of the table and I felt my mouth go dry, “and we’re sorry.”

The conversation I had with Kane about why Clarke was so important to him drifted back into my mind and the admission he had told me. I always liked to think of myself as someone who never lied to the people I cared about, but I was going into the relationship with Clarke with possibly the biggest secret I could keep from her.

“Well, everyone knows about my parents, so that’s not a big deal.” Clarke took a deep breath and I reached over, resting my hand on her knee and she squeezed my hand. “But I am curious how y’all figured out my work schedule. And got into my house.”

“Anyone can pick a lock.” Murphy smirked.

“And finding out your schedule wasn’t very hard. The website the coffee shop used wasn’t as secure as they thought.” Monty gave her a sheepish smile. “It was just a little hacking.”

“And I work with you, so it’s not like I can’t see your schedule now.” Harper smiled.

“Wow.” Clarke looked around the table and smiled. “So, what all can y’all do?”

Everyone looked at each other but with how much Clarke was grinning, I felt myself relax and I could see some of the tension leave Miller’s shoulders. It was difficult to gage where the conversation could end up going, but with how excited Clarke was to learn about our jobs, I knew she wouldn’t get upset and try to leave again. I squeezed her knee and she turned to look at me.

“We can do a lot.”

Her grin widened. “Like what?”

 

* * *

 

Being able to sit down with everyone and listen to the things that they were all able to do, which Bellamy had said was illegal, really put things into perspective for me. Most of them didn’t do anything that would be inherently dangerous, though they all admitted to going on their ‘missions’ whenever Kane allowed them. _It doesn’t sound so bad._

“So, where to next?” I asked as we started throwing our trash away.

“Let’s go see Maya.” Jasper bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, barely able to hold in his excitement.

“Yeah, let’s go.” We spilled out onto the sidewalk and began making our way towards the coffee shop. One thing about the gates of our university is that all of the places are right next to each other, so it didn’t take us long to make our way into the garden part of Highland Coffees.

Walking back into the place, I felt like I was walking in for another shift. There were more customers this time than there had been during my last shift, and I was surprised when one of them caught my attention.

“Miles!” I started towards a guy tucked away in the corner of the shop near one of the windows. His head snapped up to look at who was calling his name and he rolled his eyes, but there was a smile making it’s way onto his face.

“I will forever regret the day you found out my first name.” He stood up and gave me a hug.

“Oh, it’s not that bad. What are you doing here? Studying?”

“Yeah, but I figured it’d give me something to do over the summer.” Zeke looked at everyone behind me. “When did you get friends?”

“Ass.” I rolled my eyes then turned back to everyone. “Guys, this is Zeke Shaw. He’s a mechanical engineering major and he really sucks when it comes to biology.”

“And she is terrible at physics, so we helped each other out.”

“Damn right. We both got A’s.” I went through and introduced everyone but I didn’t miss the way Zeke’s attention lingered on Raven a little longer than it had with the others.

“I’m a mech-e major too, what year are you?” Raven leaned against one of the tables.

“I’m going into my third year. You?”

“Same. What’s your schedule like for the next semester?”

I looked between Raven and Zeke and smirked. What I knew of Zeke, and what I had learned of Raven in the little time I had known her, I could see them becoming friends. Or getting into an argument over how to do something. Either of those would have been very possible. I turned to Bellamy and wiggled my eyebrows and he chuckled and shook his head before leaning down to whisper in my ear. “First Jasper, now maybe Raven, are you trying to play matchmaker?”

“Well, I think I’m very good at it, don’t you?” I turned my head and smiled up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you definitely are.” Bellamy leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, causing me to giggle.

We migrated over to where everyone was talking about what they wanted to get from the menu and I said hey to Maya who was steadily talking to Jasper, and once I made my way to the counter, another worker came out from the back. I would have recognized that headband and braided hair anywhere, so I didn’t need to look at her hand to know who she was.

“Clarke!”

“Emori!” The other girl set down the tray of scones she had been carrying and made her way around the counter to give me a hug. “I remember telling you to apply here but I didn’t think you would.”

“Yeah, well, they don’t do a background check.” Emori grinned.

“Oh yeah, how did everything go with that anyway?”

“The charges got dropped. Apparently the old man couldn’t tell the difference between me and this other guy, and the other guy had a history a lot bigger than mine.”

“You got arrested?” Murphy appeared at my shoulder and I did my best to not jump.

“Emori, this is John Murphy. He has some sticky fingers too.”

“Nice to meet you.” Emori held out her hand and Murphy shook it.

“Yeah. Everyone calls me Murphy.”

“I like John.” Emori smirked and I could see the corners of Murphy’s mouth turn upwards. “So, what can I get everyone?”

The time at the coffee shop was like both of my world colliding. Of course, Maya had already met Jasper and Bellamy and Octavia had shown up while I was working once, but having them meet some of my other friends was something else completely. We all ended up pushing a few tables together and talking for about two hours straight. Zeke talked about how hopeless I had been when we took physics together, and in turn I talked about how he couldn’t keep the process of how blood flows through the heart straight. Emori talked about how she grew up with a knack for stealing things from right under people’s noses, and to prove her point she held up Murphy’s wallet. I think he might’ve fallen in love with her in that moment. And there was Maya who everyone loved instantly; it was really hard not to.

“Why don’t you guys come with us when y’all get off?” I leaned against the table. “We could all go bowling or something.”

“We like bowling.” Jasper and Monty sat up straighter.

“I like bowling too.”

“Same here.”

Everyone else agreed on the bowling alley and before long, we were all heading back to my house to grab the vehicles since Maya and Emori said that they would meet us at the bowling alley but Zeke said he promised his grandparents he’d have dinner with them. Though all of us noticed him give Raven his number.

“So,” I started as I slid into the passenger seat of the truck, “how did the meeting go last night?” I looked out my window at everyone debating on who was riding in what car.

“Some of the people are getting a little restless, but that’s it.” Bellamy shrugged and started the truck.

“So there’s nothing else?”

“No, it was just a standard meeting about when we’re going to make our next move. Just logistics, basically.” Bellamy looked over at me then reached across the console and took my hand in his. “Hey, you do know you don’t have to do any of this, don’t you? You can wipe your hands of this whole situation.”

“I know.” I squeezed his hand. “I’m still thinking, though.”

“Okay.” He leaned over and kissed the back of my hand. “Take all the time you need.”

Octavia, Harper, and Monty all piled into the backseat of the vehicle while everyone else got into Miller’s Jeep. Bellamy waited for Miller to get on the road before he backed out of my driveway and followed behind his friend. Of all the ways I expected this day to go, having pretty much _everyone_ I’ve ever been friends with meeting Bellamy and the rest of his friends was not it.

On the fifteen minute ride to the bowling alley, everyone sang along to the radio but I couldn’t calm down my racing thoughts. The idea of making the city a better place, like how my parents wanted, seemed like the only option to take, but then the thought of possibly being in _real_ danger kept pulling me back. Bellamy told me inside the burger place that no one has to physically be in the line of fire if they don’t want to be, it’s just that most of them usually do.

 _How Kane could let his children be around stuff like this is astounding to me._ I felt as if there was more that none of them were telling me, but I also knew that I hadn’t been around them long enough for them to tell me everything. Or if they even wanted to tell me everything. I was torn out of my thoughts by a text from Wells.

_Sasha thinks the double date is a good idea.  
We just need a date and a time_

I smiled then looked over at Bellamy. “Hey, how would you feel about a double date with Wells and his girlfriend Sasha?”

“Bell’s never done a double date!” Octavia leaned forward and rested her hands on the back of my chair. “Come to think of it, he’s never really dated.”

“ _O_.” Bellamy looked at his sister in the rearview mirror. “Sit back and put your seatbelt on.”

I couldn’t see Octavia’s face, but I definitely heard her huff then her back hitting the leather of the seat. I turned back to Bellamy. “I usually don’t do double dates either, but Sasha is really convinced that I’m harboring some sort of unspoken feelings for Wells. Like I’m secretly in love with him or something.” I sighed. “This was always a problem with us growing up. Wells may be my best friend and he may be a guy, but there’s absolutely nothing like that and there never will be.”

“I believe you.” Harper called from the back. “I’ve see the two of you together, you’re definitely best friends but there’s nothing even remotely close to something romantic between y’all.”

“Thank you!” I turned around in my seat. “It would just be weird. Really fucking weird. But Sasha is still unsure about him being friends with me. Not to mention I’m the one who told Wells to go over there and talk to her, but that doesn’t seem to mean anything.” I grumbled then straightened in my seat. “Does it bother you that my best friend is a guy?” I looked over at Bellamy and he shook his head.

“No, because I know how close the two of you are and it’s the same thing for me and everyone else in this car.”

“That’s right, Bellamy is like the big brother we never had. Or wanted really.” Harper teased and I could see Bellamy smile.

“Guys and girls can be friends without there being an ulterior motive.” Bellamy glanced at me. “And if Sasha has a problem with believing there’s nothing going on between you and Wells, then, sure, I’d love to go on a double date with you.”

I grinned then leaned over and gave him a kiss on his shoulder. “Thanks, babe.”

I texted Wells back that Bellamy would be up for a double date too and that we could go to a restaurant or something this week if they were all free. Bellamy had told me that since he has a TA position during the semester he doesn’t work at the bar unless someone really needs a shift covered, but since he doesn’t work for the school over the summer he’ll work at the bar just so he has an income. Though from the way he talked, it doesn’t sound like he really needs to.

Wells texted back asking if Wednesday night would work and Bellamy said that Wednesday would be fine. I was excited to get the chance to set things straight with Sasha, but I was also worried about how everything would ultimately go. I hadn’t even talked to Sasha even though she and Wells had been together for weeks at this point, and I didn’t know what type of person she really was.

“We’re here!” Octavia opened the door before Bellamy had even put the truck and park and Maya, Jasper, and Emori were already waiting in front of the doors.

“I don’t remember the last time I’ve gone bowling.” I said as I hopped out of the truck.

“Well, let’s see who has the better technique.” Bellamy grinned at me.

“You’re going down, Blake.” I grabbed his hand and led him towards the rest of our friends.

After the shoes were rented and the bowling balls were chosen, Jasper and Monty took it upon themselves to buy nachos while Octavia, Harper, and I bought hot dogs, and then Miller and Murphy both got pitchers of beer along with a jell-o shot for each of us.

“I propose girls against boys!” Octavia held up her jell-o shot which led to Bellamy yanking her arm down before the cop standing in the corner could see her.

“I think that could be fun.” Emori grinned.

“Me too!”

“But we’ll be out numbered,” Jasper frowned and I looked around. The girls had one more person than the guys.

“But you have wickedly good aim,” Octavia pointed out, “so we need the extra person to help boost our chances of winning.”

“Are y’all scared you’re going to get your asses kicked by a few girls?” Raven grinned at the guys and Murphy smirked.

“With how bad your aim is, Reyes, I don’t think we have much to be scared of.”

“Except you haven’t seen me bowl, John.” Emori tilted her head to the side and I laughed.

“Let’s get to bowling! Everyone in their lanes.” Octavia started shooing the guys away from our table. “Let’s see who wins.”

After about two hours of cheering and multiple rounds of nachos and hot dogs, the guys ended up winning by two points. Bellamy and Octavia were neck-in-neck for most of the game with Emori damn near wiping the floor with Murphy. My aim, along with the other girls’ was pretty average. We could get almost all of the pins knocked down after two tries, but we didn’t have the same skill as the Blake siblings.

“Did the two of them just grow up in a bowling alley?” I leaned over and whispered to Raven who chuckled.

“Kane brought them out for family night a lot when he first adopted them and bowling just happened to be what they wanted to do every week.”

“Wow.” I turned back to Bellamy and Octavia who were talking about how to properly roll the bowling ball. I could hear Bellamy telling Octavia that she needed to flick her wrist and she told him that he needed to add a better spin on it.

“But who won?” Bellamy tilted his head to the side and grinned at his little sister.

“By _two points_ , Bell. I could beat that in my sleep!”

“Want a rematch little sister?”

“Bring it asshat!”

“Alright,” Raven stood up and walked over to them. “It’s getting late and it’s a work night for our girls so we should be heading back. You can tell Kane to put a bowling alley in the backyard.”

Octavia’s eyes went wide and I watched as she turned back to Bellamy. “Think he’d go for that?”

“Maybe. If _you_ ask him.”

Octavia grinned and I could feel my mouth drop open. _They could really get a bowling alley if they just asked?_

“Hey, Clarke, I have to head out.” Maya looked over at me from her place beside Jasper. “I have to pick up my little brother from a friend’s house.”

“It was great getting to hangout again.” I walked over to Maya and wrapped her up in a hug. “We should definitely do this more.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Maya smiled down at Jasper. “I’d like that.”

“I’m going to head home too, my bed is calling me.” Emori stood up and brought me into a bone-crushing hug that only she can do. “But, I’m never losing contact with you again.” She pulled back and I realized that she had my phone in her hands. _I didn’t even feel her take it_. She put her phone number in then pulled me in for a picture and set it to her contact. “I missed you, Griffin.”

“I missed you too, Em.”

“Here you go.” We both turned to Murphy who was holding Emori’s phone out to her with a shit-eating grin on his face. Emori’s eyebrows arched towards her hairline as she reached out and took her phone. “Have a safe drive home.” Murphy turned around and walked towards Miller, leaving Emori staring after him.

“I think we could be friends.”

“ _Just_ friends, Emori?”

Emori turned around and this time, she was smiling. “Definitely not.”

I chuckled and shook my head then everyone said their goodbyes to Emori and Maya. As we made our way to the vehicles, no one could quit smiling or laughing and I wasn’t any different. In the midst of everything that had happened, I forgot about what happened just forty-eight hours before and I didn’t even think about the unfinished mural on my bedroom wall.

Everyone piled into Miller’s car to go back to their house which gave Bellamy and I time to just be with one another while he drove me back to my house. I had a feeling that Bellamy was trying to figure out a way to bring me back to his house with him, but I knew I couldn’t just move into Kane’s house so everyone can keep an eye on me and make sure I’m safe.

Bellamy reached over and linked his fingers with mine and I smiled at him. Knowing everything that he and everyone else were capable of doing, was completely different from the softness that he was showing me. But then again, I had only heard stories, I hadn’t seen Bellamy in one of his meetings or on one of his ‘missions’.

“And we’re here.” Bellamy’s voice sounded sad as he pulled into my driveway. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to come back home with me?” Bellamy ran his thumb over my knuckles and I smiled at him.

“Bellamy,” with my free hand I brushed a few curls off his forehead, “how about I come back with you after our date Wednesday?”

“Or I could stay with you tonight.” He grinned and I tilted my head to the side.

“Bellamy Blake, are you trying to get laid?”

“Not at all, I’m just trying to keep an eye on my girlfriend.”

“Well then, who am I to stop you?”

We both hopped out of the truck and Bellamy followed me inside. Given that we had stuffed our faces with bowling alley food, I wasn’t hungry but I knew that Bellamy would probably need _something_ to eat in the morning. I mentally went over all of the food I had in my fridge, and aside from a pack of sandwich meat and a half gallon of milk and a carton of orange juice, I didn’t have much.

“So, I don’t have much to eat but at least there’s not a shortage of places to get food around here.” I stopped moving and looked around. “Why does it feel like someone has been in my house?”

“Kane had a bed dropped off for you while we were out.” Bellamy gestured towards my bedroom.

“Y’all have _really_ got to stop doing that.” I pushed open the door to my room and, sure enough, there was a new queen bed in my bedframe and there were even new sheets on it. “Wow.” I smiled then launched myself onto it. “It’s so comfy.”

Bellamy leaned against my doorframe with his arms crossed against his chest, smiling. “So does the comfy-ness make up for the breaking and entering?”

“I think I’ll let it slide this time.” I grinned at him from my place against my pillows then patted the spot beside me. Bellamy’s smile was soft as he kicked off his shoes and padded his way towards me. He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, sighing. Now that I was laying down, I could feel myself wanting to fall asleep too.

“This _is_ soft.”

“Are you tired?” I rolled on my side and looked at him. With his eyes closed, he looked younger. His eyelashes fluttered and he looked over at me.

“Clarke Griffin, are you trying to get laid?” He gave me a tired smile.

“Nope, I’m just wondering if I should turn out the light or not.”

“I’m sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“Why?”

“Because, I don’t want to rush into anything.” Bellamy rolled onto his side to look at me.

“But you’re already in bed with me.”

“And we’re both still fully clothed and on top of the blankets.”

“I’ve already slept in your bed. And invited you to sleep with me then.” I pointed out.

“True, but I want to do this right.” Bellamy reached up and pushed a strand of hair off my face. “We have time, there’s no need to rush anything.”

 _Dammit_. “I guess.” I couldn’t help the small pout that made it’s way to my lips. Bellamy chuckled.

“I’ll be here when you wake up, don’t worry.”

“Mmm…good to know.” My eyes fluttered closed and I could feel Bellamy shift on the bed before he pressed his lips against my cheek.

“Goodnight, Clarke.”

I could feel myself beginning to slip further and further. “Goodnight, Bellamy.”

I was vaguely aware of Bellamy’s lips against my forehead and the bed moving as he slid off, but I couldn’t form any more words or even open my eyes again. I had really wished that he would’ve stayed with me, but he had been right. We had time. Though that didn’t stop my dreams from wandering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No matter what I did, I couldn't figure out what I disliked about this chapter but since I couldn't fix it, here it is anyway lol but I'm looking forward to posting the next one!
> 
> I hope you liked it! (more than me lol)  
> x


	16. Just patching up the head of the mafia, nbd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Bellamy join Wells and Sasha for a double date, but then Bellamy gets a call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I had this written for yesterday but forgot to post it lol If you're also waiting for an update on my other story, I'm working on it now and I should have it up by tomorrow!
> 
> And this isn't proofed so there may be a lot of mistakes, I'm sorry!

Getting off work on Wednesday, I couldn’t hide my nerves about going on the double date with Wells. Harper had talked me up a lot during our shift together, and I could tell that Thalia and Lila were both curious about what exactly we were talking about, but one look from Harper and they went back to their work.

I rode home with my windows rolled down and my hair out of that insanely tight bun that Ark Inc. required everyone to wear. With the weather getting warmer, I wouldn’t be able to have my windows rolled down for much longer so I relished the wind in my hair. Harper and I had gone over what I was going to wear so I was mentally trying to figure out where exactly all of those clothes were.

When I turned down my street, I saw Bellamy’s motorcycle parked off the road in front of my house and as I got closer, I could see Bellamy standing on my porch. Monday morning, we had set a few ground rules. He wouldn’t enter my house without my permission but he could use my spare key if he really needed to. And, if there were any plans to drop something off, he would make sure that they didn’t break into my house.

I parked my car and got out, then I realized that he was holding a bouquet of orange and pink roses. “So, Bellamy Blake is a romantic.” I smiled as I climbed my stairs. “Roses and dinner?”

“I think you’ll find that I have my moments.” Bellamy wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me into a kiss.

“Mmm…me too.” I ran my fingers through his hair and he hummed.

“We have a date to get ready for.”

“Yes, we do.” I smiled then took my keys out of my purse and turned off my security alarm. “And we don’t have much time.”

“Thank god, because I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

Bellamy followed me into my house and gave me a kiss before ducking into my bathroom to change into his clothes and I slipped into my bedroom to pull out the outfit that Harper and I had put together. Wells had suggested going to the Eligius but I argued that a more laid-back place would be better. And it also meant that I could wear jeans instead of a dress or a skirt.

I took my work clothes off and threw them into a hamper then stretched. Working in an office with nothing much to do all day really seemed to take a lot out of me despite the fact that I didn’t do much. I threw myself onto the bed and let myself have a few moments of rest before getting up and slipping  on my dark jeans and my off-the shoulder burgundy shirt. Just as I checked myself in the new dresser mirror that Jaha had bought me, I heard Bellamy come out of my bathroom.

“I’m ready!” Bellamy called from the other side of my door and I walked over to open it.

“Perfect,” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Are we taking your motorcycle or my car? I need to know what to do with my hair.”

“I like you’re hair down,” Bellamy reached up and started combing his fingers through my hair and I let my hands fall. “Would it be too much to ask if I can drive your car?” He grinned down at me and I laughed, pulling my keys out of my pocket.

“I trust you.”

“Thank you.” Bellamy leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “Do we head out now? We have twenty minutes.”

“It’ll take us ten to get there and, knowing Wells, he’s already waiting. Let’s go.”

Bellamy seemed to really like driving my car, and I couldn’t blame him. The smile never left his face as he drove through the city streets and by the time we got to the Dropship, he was grinning from ear to ear. Bellamy hopped out of the driver’s seat and jogged around to my side of the car to open my door.

“I take it you like my car?”

“I love it.” Bellamy shut my door then took my hand in his. “Now, let’s do this.”

We walked through the front doors of the restaurant and talked to the hostess who motioned for us to go into the dining area and, sure enough, Wells and Sasha were already waiting for us. _Of course, Wells._ I led the way with Bellamy following behind me, and when we reached the table, Wells stood up.

“Took you long enough,” Wells teased as he leaned over to give me a hug.

“Well if you didn’t _insist_ on being everywhere fifteen minutes early we would’ve been here on time.”

Wells turned to Bellamy and they shook. “I don’t know how you put up with her.” Wells’ eyes widened.

“You’ve done it a lot longer than I have.” Bellamy grinned at me and I swatted at his chest before turning to Sasha.

“Hi, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Hi.” The other girl held her hand out and I shook it.

“Sasha, this is my boyfriend Bellamy, Bellamy, this is Sasha.”

“Hello.” Bellamy nodded his head at her and gave her a polite smile.

We took our seats and a waitress came to give us menus and take our drink orders. We all started looking at what we wanted to get, and Wells offered to get a plate of mozzarella sticks for everyone since knew my penchant for fried cheese but when Sasha said she didn’t want any, Bellamy said he would get the mozzarella sticks if Wells wanted to get something else.

“So, Sasha, Wells tells me you’re going into politics. Do you like it?” I leaned onto the table and smiled. We were having this double date so I could get to know her and for her to realize that there was nothing for her to worry about.

“I love it,” Sasha smiled slightly, “it’s really interesting and I think I could do a lot of good for our state.”

“Well, if you ever need to talk to anyone, then I’m sure uncle Theo would be more than willing to hold you hostage while he talks about his ‘golden days’.” Wells chuckled and I could see Sasha’s smile become a bit strained. “But, I think it’s wonderful that you want to help our state. We need more people like that.”

“What about you? I heard you’re majoring in biology, pre-med.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m just trying to follow in my mom’s footsteps.” The waitress came back with our drinks and took our food orders before disappearing into the back. “I’m also minoring in art but I think of that as more of a hobby.” Sasha only nodded her head and I could feel myself faulter, so I turned to Bellamy. “Bellamy’s little sister is studying politics too.”

“Oh?” Sasha turned towards Bellamy. “What’s her name? Maybe I’ve had a few classes with her.”

“Octavia,” Bellamy leaned back in his seat.

“Oh, Octavia Blake is your sister? She completely destroyed a guy last semester during our mock debate.” Sasha smiled. “She can be pretty intense.”

“Yeah, that’s my little sister.” Bellamy smiled and I could see the pride in his eyes.

“She’s going to be an awesome lawyer,” I chimed in. “She already has the glare down.”

“The glare?” Wells’ eyebrows arched up as he looked between me and Bellamy.

“What Harper and I call the Octavia Blake Death Glare, she can make a grown man tremble.”

“She learned that from Raven,” Bellamy grins at me.

The waitress came back with our appetizers, fried cheese for me and fried pickles for Sasha. We all took a few bites of our appetizers until I ended up having to tell Bellamy to take the mozzarella sticks from me so I could still have enough room for the actual dinner.

“So, how did the two of you meet?” Sasha looked between me and Bellamy. _Shit_. Neither of us had brought up what we would say If someone asked us this, but Bellamy has seemed to think this through.

“I was leaving a friend’s house and saw her scare away a couple of drunk guys with her car alarm. Then I ended up taking Octavia to get coffee at the same shop where she worked.”

“ _Then_ after a long night and me not waking up until nearly six one day, Octavia and Harper sent him over to check up on me.”

“Yeah, the two of them didn’t want to call it a date,” Wells rolled his eyes and smiled, “but I’m glad they finally figured it out.”

“Me too,” I turned and smiled at Bellamy. “I need to go use the bathroom.”

“Oh, I’ll come with you.” Sasha got up with me and we both made our way to the bathroom in the back of the building.

After we finished up, we both checked our makeup in the mirrors. I figured the reason why Sasha decided to come with me to the bathroom was to talk to me, but if she wasn’t going to say something first then I was.

“So, I agreed to this double date because—”

“Clarke, wait—” Sasha turned to look at me, “I know why we’re here and I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for doubting your friendship with Wells.”

“You saw that in such a short amount of time?”

“Yeah,” Sasha gave me a small smile. “The way you look at him isn’t the same way you look at Bellamy.”

“Yeah,” I ducked my head and smiled, “it’s definitely not the same. Growing up, Wells and I had a lot of problems like this, so it’s not the first time someone has thought that there was more.”

“Not to mention that Wells told me that you were the one who encouraged him to come talk to me and I still didn’t believe it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, really.” I smiled and she exhaled and nodded her head.

“Great.”

“Now, let’s go see our guys.”

Sasha linked her arm with mine and we made our way back towards the table. That whole encounter went a lot smoother than I had anticipated, and Sasha seemed like a nice person to get to know. When we sat back down at the table smiling, Bellamy and Wells both looked at us and shrugged.

We nibbled on our appetizers a little more while we were waiting for our entrees to come out and, surprisingly, there was no interrogating going on. All of us talked and laughed, and I realized just how well Bellamy and Wells got along. And Sasha was funny, and not afraid to make jokes wherever Wells was concerned which usually had tears springing to my eyes.

“We should make this a thing from now on.” I said as I wiped a tear from my cheek. “This is a good distraction from everyday life.”

“I totally agree!” Sasha grinned at me. “We should do this like every week.”

“Maybe every two weeks,” Wells chimed in, “I don’t know how much ganging up I can handle.”

“Every two weeks sounds good to me.” Bellamy was leaning back in his chair with his arm resting on the back of mine. “I could hear more stories about Clarke being a bad influence.” Bellamy winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

“Wells knows damn good and well that he wanted to go jump off that bridge, it just took a little nudge on my part.” I looked over at Wells who merely shrugged.

“At least after that when my dad would ask me if I’d jump off a bridge if you did I already had an answer.”

I picked up my straw wrapped and balled it up then threw it at him and he swatted it out of the air. I was about to ask if we should get dessert when Bellamy’s phone went off and he got up to answer it. Wells’ eyes followed Bellamy as he walked towards the hallway to the restrooms before turning to look at me. I could tell that he was thinking the same thing I was.

Sasha pulled Wells’ attention towards her by asking him if he was bringing either her or me to the next event that his dad had planned but my attention stayed on Bellamy’s back. The way he was standing was similar to how he was when Finn showed up at his house that morning, and it really made me wonder what exactly was happening. I could see him nod his head before stuffing his phone in his back pocket and starting back towards the table.

“Hey, guys, I really hate to do this but I have to go. We have a family emergency.” Bellamy was radiating tension and I immediately stood up.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, don’t ruin your night because of this.” He gave me a tight smile and all I could think about was who had gotten hurt. “Here,” He pulled out his wallet and took out a few twenties and was about to hand them to me when I grabbed my wallet.

“Nope, we’re both going.” I turned towards Wells and Sasha, “We really should do this again and, Sasha,” I looked at the other girl, “make sure he gives you my number.” I winked then reached over and grabbed Bellamy’s arm just as he was setting the money down for our food and started towards the door.

Bellamy still had my keys so he walked to the driver’s side as I slid into the passenger seat. He didn’t seem worried as much as he did angry, and I had a feeling that if Octavia or one of his friends was hurt then he would seem more distraught. He pulled out of the restaurant parking lot and I noticed the familiar streets as we neared my house so I turned towards him.

“I’m going with you.”

“You don’t have to, Clarke,” He glanced at me before taking a left. “No one is hurt, well, none of my _family_ is hurt. But you haven’t made your decision yet, so I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to come with me.”

“I don’t feel obligated, Bellamy, I _want_ to go.”

I could see him weighing the different outcomes of me going and eventually he sighed. “Well, I can’t stop you but it’ll be better if they don’t see your car, so we’ll take my motorcycle.”

“Ooh, so I am going to get to ride it today.” I smiled and turned back around in my seat. “Now I’ll get to learn more about what I’m possibly getting myself into.”

Pulling into Kane’s driveway, there was nothing out of the ordinary that would suggest that there was something going on, let alone _wrong_. I got off Bellamy’s bike and he followed, then instead of going through the front door, he started towards the back of the house. I hadn’t actually been anywhere outside of the house aside from the driveway, so I didn’t know what to expect.

Walking into what looked like a shed then walking down a flight of stairs from that shed, was not what I expected. Bellamy led me down the stairs and it opened up into a room that looked similar to Kane’s office, except it had a lot more computers and monitors lining the walls and a man with a large gash on his arm sitting on the table in the middle.

Octavia was sitting in a chair behind the desk flipping through a book that I couldn’t make out with Harper sitting on the desk, Raven and Monty were sitting at the computers, and Miller, Jasper, and Murphy were standing around the wooden table with Kane and the bleeding man. Only Octavia looked up when we walked in and she did a double take before zoning in on me.

“Clarke!” She set her book down on the desk with her eyes wide. Harper jumped. “Bell, what is she doing here?”

Bellamy crossed his arms then looked at Kane. “She wanted to see what she was getting herself into and, let’s be honest, if I had told her no she would’ve just followed me here anyway.”

Kane looked from Bellamy to me then nodded. “Yes, I think so too.”

“What happened?” I tilted my head to the side and looked at the guy’s bleeding arm. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and I could see tattoos peeking out from the collar of his shirt, but he didn’t look particularly menacing. “Those need stitches.”

“Thank you for your insightfulness, I hadn’t thought of that.” The man rolled his eyes at me then turned to Kane. “Really, what is she doing here? I need a healer not—”

“Roan, enough.” Bellamy’s voice was hard as he stared the other man down and Kane sighed.

“Our guy who would usually help with this sort of thing is not available, and apparently Azgeda doesn’t care to have a doctor on their payroll.” Kane gave the man, Roan, a pointed look and Roan shrugged. _Azgeda? Like Azgeda Mafia?_ Everyone turned to look at me and it was then that I realized that I had said my thoughts out loud.

“You know who they are?” Kane’s eyes were wide.

Now it was my turn to shrug. “I’ve heard Jaha complain about them a few times when he didn’t know I was in the house.” I looked at Roan. “You’ve done some insane stuff.”

The man smirked at me. “Glad, you’re a fan.”

“Not particularly, but I know how to do stitches,” I offered and everyone looked at me again. “What? You all know who my mother was.”

“Clarke, I don’t—” Bellamy started but Roan interrupted him.

“If the girl wants to do it, then I say let her.”

The look that Bellamy turned on him was nothing short of a death glare. I stepped forward and turned my attention towards Kane, “I just need a first aid kit and some gloves.”

“No first aid kit, but we have floss and a sewing needle.” Murphy grinned and I could feel myself faulter.

“He’s joking,” Raven glared at her friend, “Goggles, can you go get it?” Jasper nodded then disappeared up the stairs with a small smile to me.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Bellamy leaned over and whispered and I turned to look at him. I could tell he was worried, but I didn’t see why.

“It’s just a few stitches, Bellamy, it’s not that big of a deal.” I rested my hand on his bicep and he nodded. My heart leaped and I stood up on my tip toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Besides, if I accidentally stick myself with the needle I know you’ll be here to take care of me.”

My joke pulled a smile from his lips and I could feel myself grin a little more. “Yes, I will.”

“Got it!” Jasper came back in with the first aid kit and a mason jar of brown liquid that I could only assume was his and Monty’s moonshine. He handed the first aid kit off to me then handed the jar to Roan for “numbing the pain.”

I walked over to the table and set the kit down. “Take off your shirt.” I could see Roan smirk but I ignored him as I went to work setting everything up. It had been years since I actually practice doing stitches, and sewing a banana wasn’t the same as human skin, but it was something someone could ever forget. A memory of my father letting me stitch a cut on his leg resurfaced and I could feel a calmness wash over me as his voice echoed in my mind. _“Just like your mother, but with a gentler touch.”_ I could even see him smiling at me.

I put on the gloves and took out a wipe to clean the area. It was a fairly large cut, but it wasn’t that deep. _I can do this._ I threaded the needle and turned back to the task in front of me. There was something my mother used to talk about when I shadowed her in the hospital, the mindset that she would go in whenever it came to handling a patient, and I tried to recall the things she had told me.

 _“You can’t let your mind drift to anything else besides what you need to be doing in that moment. A distraction can lead to a mistake and mistakes are deadly in this line of work. Do you understand?”_ I zoned in on the cut and took a deep breath before setting the needle against Roan’s skin and pushed it through. I could hear Roan suck in a breath through his teeth but it seemed miles away.

I moved to my own headspace to where I couldn’t decipher anything that was going on around me; all of the voices blended together and all of the commotion from people moving around the room was just a blur. Then, as if no time at all had passed, I was tying off the last stitch and backing away to view my handiwork. They were slightly crooked, but overall I was impressed with how well I had been able to do it despite not having done it in so long. I placed a piece of gauze over it and taped it in place then took of my gloves.

“You’re done.”

Roan turned and looked down at his arm. “Not half bad.” Roan turned his dark eyes towards me. “Thank you.”

I didn’t trust my voice to not faulter so I only nodded my head before turned to look for Bellamy. _I take it back, the guy is slightly terrifying_. Bellamy was near the desk talking with Kane and Octavia but as I moved closer to him, he turned to look at me.

“You did great.” He smiled and rubbed my back.

“Thank you.” I leaned into his touch then looked at Kane. “So, what is this place?”

“It’s where we have some of our meetings,” Kane gestured around the room. “Sometimes if we need to keep an eye on things then we can see what’s happening around the city—”

“Or if we need to plan how we’re going to do our next mission,” Octavia chimed in. “It’s pretty awesome.”

“It keeps the more gritty part of the business out of the house.” Kane elaborated.

“So what happened with him?” I pointed over my shoulder towards Roan who seemed to have migrated towards Raven and was looking at her computer screen. “That didn’t look like an ‘oops accidentally cut myself’, injury.”

“It wasn’t,” Kane glared at Roan’s back then sat on the edge of his desk. “Roan’s people have become antsy waiting for all of us to coordinate the next move so he decided that he would just go in with no plan and no backup.”

“He’s lucky Indra isn’t here.” Bellamy grumbled.

“If Indra was here, we’d have a lot more on our hands than just a cut. Thankfully, Roan had the good sense to call his people back before anyone got hurt.” Kane ran his hands over his face then stood up. “Now that he’s patched up, and thank you for that by the way,” Kane gave me a small smile, “I think we can all call this a night and go back inside.”

“Does this mean I get a dinner invitation?” Roan straightened and looked at Kane, but I didn’t miss the way his hand lingered on the back of Raven’s chair.

“We already ate.” Bellamy’s arms were crossed against his chest and I had to keep myself from laughing. I didn’t know what the deal was with their friendship, but it seemed volatile at best.

“Shame.” Roan gave him a half smile the picked his coat up from the table. “Maybe another time.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Kane moved from around his desk and motioned for Roan to go up the stairs, but Roan turned back to look at me.

“It was nice meeting you, Clarke Griffin.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at the way he said my last name. _I didn’t even tell him my last name_. I turned towards Bellamy and I could tell that he didn’t know what had just happened either.

“How did he know your name, Clarke?” Monty asked from his computer chair and I shrugged.

“Maybe it was my comment about Jaha.” I knew that it was a possibility, but something else in the back of my mind told me that it wasn’t true.

“I wouldn’t put too much thought into it,” Miller looked at me from his place against the wall.

“Yeah, he knows a lot of people.” Harper gave me a reassuring smile and I tried to return it, but I couldn’t help the uneasy feeling pooling in the pit of my stomach.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“But she just got here!” Octavia pouted and grabbed onto one of my arms. “Don’t take her home yet.”

“And I already told you I was staying the night.” I looked at Bellamy.

“Did you bring any work clothes?”

“No, I figured I’d just go back home and change before work.”

“Oh, we can carpool!” Harper grinned. “She’s staying.” Harper grabbed onto my other arm and started walking me towards the stairs, but Octavia let go of me to grab Raven.

“Wait, you can’t just take my girlfriend!” Bellamy’s voice followed me as they propelled me up the stairs.

“Sorry, Bell, she’s ours now!” Octavia called over her shoulder and I could hear the other guys laughing as we surfaced in the shed.

 

* * *

 

After the girls stole Clarke from me, I waved off Miller and Murphy’s attempts to get me to drink with them and made my way to Kane’s office. The way that Roan had addressed Clarke as he was leaving didn’t sit well with me and I wanted to know if Kane knew something that I didn’t. I knocked on his door and he called for me to come in. He was sitting at his desk with his glasses on, looking over something that was stamped with the bar’s logo.

“I take it you want to talk about how Roan knew Clarke’s last name.”

“Yeah, I do.” I didn’t bother sitting because it felt as if a live wire had been placed under my skin and I couldn’t stop moving. “We didn’t tell him and he wasn’t in charge when the Griffins were helping you, so how did he know her name?”

Kane took off his glasses and looked up at me. “He may not have been in charge, but he knew _who_ the Griffins were. He was—” Kane rubbed his eyes, “he was with me when I found out about their deaths. Do you remember that day?”

That day Kane had come home drunk with Roan helping him into the house. It was the first and only time I had ever seen Kane drunk and it was a shocking. His face was puffy as if he had been crying, but neither of them would give any details about what happened. Roan gave some remark later after Kane had been put to bed about him getting upset over losing some stock, but there was no way I would’ve believed him. Kane didn’t have any stock.

“Yes.”

“I found out when Roan was doing a check-in. Nia hadn’t wanted to come herself so she sent him, and while we were sitting in the bar, I got the call from Jaha.” Kane placed his face in his hands. “I don’t remember much from that night, but I do recall telling him that I didn’t know what would happen to their daughter, Clarke. God, I was stupid.”

“No, you weren’t stupid, you were drunk and upset.” I walked towards his desk and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kane nodded his head solemnly.

“Where is she?”

“Hidden away in one of the girls’ rooms,” I grumbled. “They took her from me.”

Kane looked up at me and I could his father face peaking through the tiredness. “And what did we talk about if she were to stay the night?”

I sighed. “Really?” Kane didn’t waver and I rolled my eyes, recalling what he made me agree to. “She stays in either one of the girl’s rooms or my room, but I stay on the couch if she’s in my room. No sharing a bed and no closing the door. If we need to talk about something serious, come into your office.”

“And?”

“And no letting her ride my bike without a helmet, jeans, and a jacket in case something happens and we wreck.”

“Good, it’s the same rules I have in place for Monty and Harper. Now, why don’t we all pick out a movie to watch?” Kane stood up and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You’re not going to make us sit three feet apart, are you?”

“No, I believe I can trust the two of you to keep your hands to yourself.” Kane smirked at me then walked towards his office door and I followed him.

As soon as the girls came downstairs, I picked up Clarke and threw her over my shoulder then sat down on the couch with her in my lap. Of course when Kane came into the room I had to move her off me, but she settled into my side and I leaned down and placed a kiss on top of her head.

Everyone settled on watching _The Italian Job_ and three big bowls of popcorn were handed out to various people. It was nice just getting to sit down with Clarke and the rest of my family and watch a movie, like a group of normal college students, but no matter what, there was always the lingering sense of dread at the thought of Clarke being caught up in all of this stuff with us.

I tried pushing those thoughts away long enough so I could actually enjoy the movie that was playing and be in the moment with Clarke as much as possible, but it was still hard to not think about it. What made me feel better was that every now and then Clarke would lean up and kiss my jaw, or my cheek, or my chin, and I would kiss her head then feed her a piece of popcorn. Some popcorn was thrown around and somehow by the end of the movie Jasper sat up with a popcorn crown on his head, but it all felt so _normal_ and I found myself wanting every day to be like that.

“I’m tired.” Clarke sat up and yawned as the credits began rolling and I moved some hair that had gotten stuck to her lips. “Let’s go to bed.” She gave me sleepy, wicked smile and I could see where her mind was going, but I could also see Kane looking at me out of the corner of my eye.

“Let’s get _you_ to bed.” Clarke seemed to pick up on what I was saying because she pouted, but I moved her into my lap and picked her up as I stood. She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder.

“You’re really strong,” she mumbled into my collar, “because I’m heavy.”

“You’re definitely not heavy, Clarke.”

“Mhmm…” I could feel her yawn against my neck. “I gained twenty pounds in a year.”

“And you look absolutely stunning.” I toed open my door and walked towards the bed, laying her down and pulling the covers over her. “Anyone who tells you different is just being an asshole. Okay?” She nodded and yawned again. _God, she’s adorable._ I chuckled then leaned down and gave her a kiss. “Goodnight, baby.”

“G’night, Bellamy.” There was a small tilt to her lips as she settled under the covers more and I felt my heart soar as I tip toed out of my room.

I saw Monty and Harper kissing each other good night in front of Harper’s door and once it was shut, Monty turned and saw me. “Same rules for you, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Sucks. Sorry, man.” Monty placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “At least she has her own place.”

“And somehow I feel like he would still find out.”

Monty seemed to think about it for a second then he nodded his head and yawned. “Probably. Night, Bellamy.”

“Night, Mont.”

Kane was dumping out the bowls of popcorn when I made it down the stairs and he turned in my direction when my feet hit the hardwood. He didn’t say anything but I could see him nod his head and I gave him a small salute before heading back into the living room. Murphy was already setting up a round of Halo and he just tossed me a controller when I sat down. Despite the incident with Roan, the day did feel almost normal. _Almost_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here comes Roan Azgeda :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	17. You can't just kidnap people from work, you know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets a surprise visit from someone who wants to say thanks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is! I know I didn't update last week and I'm sorry about that, but with all of my class work it's hard to find time to update both of my stories. So, I'm still trying to figure out the best way to go about updating them but it's kind of seeming like I'm going to have to alternate between which story gets updated each week unless I just have more time to update both of them. Since this story is getting updated this week, it may not be updated until the week after next but I appreciate you bearing with me :)

The following day, Harper drove me home so I could get ready before we both had to go to work, though I hadn’t been able to see Bellamy before I left since he had apparently been woken up early and hauled into a meeting with Kane’s other ally, Indra. I tried to walk towards Kane’s office to see if I could try and get Bellamy out so I could at least tell him bye, but Murphy had caught me and said that Indra wouldn’t appreciate me barging in. _Honestly, I don’t know her so what would be the big deal?_

“Don’t worry, he’ll probably find a way to make it up to you since he just can’t seem to _not_ be around you.” Harper nudged my arm with hers and gave me a soft smile. “Seriously, he’s smitten and I haven’t seen anything like it. He’s freaking Octavia out a little.”

“Really?” I took my eyes from my computer and looked over at her. Despite having been at work for two hours, I was still sad about how this morning went.

“Yep, everyone’s noticed it.” Harper clicked her pen a few times. “I’ve known Bellamy for close to three years now, and he’s changed a lot. I think you two are good together. And you’re good _for_ him.”

I could feel heat flare in my cheeks. “Thanks.”

“Has Kane set rules for the two of you yet?”

“Rules?”

“’House Rules’ as he puts them.” Harper did air quotes and I tilted my head to the side. _Rules?_ “You know, no doors being closed, no sleeping in the same bed, blah blah blah.”

“Uh, not that I know of. We’re adults, how can he put _rules_ on us?” _Jaha doesn’t even have rules for Wells_.

“He set them for me and Monty when we first got together,” she held up her hand and started ticking them off, “no sleeping in the same bed, no doors closed while we’re in the same room unless there’s others with us, no showering together, and a few more I forget. But it’s his house and he doesn’t ask anything of us except that.”

“But you’re _adults_.” I really couldn’t believe it. How could Kane assume that he had any authority over grown adults’ love lives? It didn’t make any sense.

“And he’s like our parent. It’s not that bad and, full disclosure, he can’t enforce anything if he’s not home to see it.”

“I thought he would have security cameras or something.”

“Oh, he does, but there’s only one on the second floor and it’s aimed at his office. Really, it’s not that bad.” Harper shrugged. “But at least you have your own place.”

Harper turned her attention towards someone who walked up towards the desk and I could feel my mind reeling. Bellamy hadn’t told me of any rules, but then again I hadn’t been staying at his house very much either. Not to mention that things were still new, so even though there was definitely the possibility of _something_ happening, I think both of us would have been okay if it didn’t happen immediately.

The day went on and people came and went from our desk and the building. Apparently there was a large conference that was being held with Dante Wallace today because right before Harper and I were supposed to go to lunch, Cage came down and asked if we minded staying in to eat so we could help direct the constant flow of people coming into the building. Thalia and Lila were asked to stay too but Thalia left with the excuse that Emerson had called her and Lila said that she had to go to the bathroom, but she was gone for an hour.

Now, with only thirty minutes of my shift left I tried to keep my thoughts from being overrun with food. I was deep in thought about whether or not I could ask Bellamy to come over tonight for dinner when a gasp from Thalia caused me to look over at her and she was staring at the front door, as was Lila. I turned towards the front of the building too and I could feel the uneasiness growing in the pit of my stomach. Roan Azgeda, the head of the Azgeda Mafia, had just walked into a building that the very people he was trying to take down, owned. And he was walking straight towards me and Harper.

“Hello, Clarke.” Roan rested his elbows on the counter in front of him. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

_Right_. I could see Thalia and Lila staring at the scene before them out of the corner of my eye, but I didn’t look at them. “Well, here I am. Can I help you?” I tried to keep my voice steady but my leg was bouncing up and down at a thousand miles a minute.

“Actually, you can,” Roan smiled, “I was here to surprise a friend, but how would you like to get something to eat with me? As a thank you for your help last night.”

“Oh, I’m afraid I have a lot of work to do here.” I tried to force myself to look sad. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, Clarke,” Thalia’s head popped up from around Harper, “we can take care of your work.”

“Yeah, totally. You didn’t have lunch today.” Lila chimed in and I whished that Harper hadn’t chosen _this time_ to go to the bathroom.

“Exactly, so leave thirty minutes early and pretend it’s a late lunch.”

“Well, then it’s settled.” Roan turned his attention towards Thalia and Lila. “Thank you, girls.” I glanced at them and I could see the two of them smiling and batting their eyelashes at him. _Ew._ Then Roan turned his attention towards me and I had to bite down the urge to say _no_ in a room full of lawyers and their clients. I moved to put things in my purse. I picked up my phone and walked from behind the desk, trying my best to not look as if I was practically begging for Harper to return.

I didn’t see Harper on the walk out the front door, but I texted her immediately while Roan’s back was towards me and told her what was happening. I had rode to work with her too, so the only way I could get home was if Roan brought me, and I wasn’t about to give him my address.

A blacked-out SUV pulled up to the curb and Roan opened the back passenger door. “After you.” I gulped.

Bellamy had warned me that this was going to be dangerous, but I hadn’t exactly understood how dangerous it could be. Though, with Roan being one of Kane’s business partners, I figured there wasn’t anything he could do to me without Kane coming after him. And Jaha for that matter.

Roan followed me into the back seat then leaned over to whisper something to driver. I buckled my seatbelt and when the car pulled away from the sidewalk, it buzzed.

_What the fuck!  
Kane told him not to go near you_

“Is it Bellamy wondering where you’re going?” Roan’s voice was deep and I tried not to look at him.

“No, it’s just Harper asking me if I took the bus home.”

“Mmm…” Roan didn’t say anything but I could feel the weight of his gaze on me. “Clarke,” impulsively, I looked at him, “thank you for last night.”

“I didn’t do much.” I shrugged and my phone went off again. I glanced at it.

_I’m calling Bellamy and Raven is going to call you_  
_Answer the phone but don’t say her name_

“Still, you helped me despite not knowing me.”

“It was just a few stitches, really.” My phone started buzzing and I picked it up with the screen out of Roan’s view. “Do you mind? My friend Wells is calling me.”

“By all means.” Roan gestured for me to answer it and I tried to keep my hands from shaking as I slid the bar over to answer it.

“Hey, Wells, what’s up?”

“Hey, Griffin, I need you to keep talking to me. I’m trying to get your location.” Raven’s voice was hushed as she talked.

“I decided to head home early since my boss couldn’t seem to let me and Harper go eat our lunch.”

“Wow, Dante is a dick. But you’re doing good, keep going.”

“It was Cage.”

“Now that makes even more sense. Alright, Clarke, just a little longer.”

“I actually I’m eating some left over pizza right now but if you want to come by later then I’d be down for more food.”

“I could really go for some pizza right now. Just a few more seconds.”

“If you cook I’ll eat.”

“Alright, I got you. You can hang up but make sure not to turn your phone off, okay?”

“Yep, sounds good. I’ll see you in two hours.” The line went dead and I tried to silently take some deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Roan didn’t say anything, and he didn’t look at me, then the car pulled up outside the Eligius restaurant and Roan put his phone away.

“We’re here.” Roan stepped out of the car and the driver got out to open my door.

“Ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

I pulled my purse up higher on my shoulder and Roan walked up beside me. “Have you ever eaten here?”

“No.”

“Well, then I hope you enjoy it. Shall we?”

I followed Roan towards the front doors of the building and I tried to look around to see if I could catch a glimpse of Bellamy, or even Kane, but I saw nothing before we stepped into the building. The decorations were ornate, if not a little on the gaudy side, and I remembered Wells telling me that it was a place with good food for a steep price. The hostess smiled as we walked up towards the stand.

“Mr. Azgeda, welcome back.”

“Thank you, Maria. The usual seat, please.”

“Certainly, sir.”

I didn’t know what _the usual seat_ was, but I didn’t like the sound of it. Roan and I followed the hostess towards one of the tables in the back of the seating area and she stopped at a table towards the corner, but still illuminated more than what I had expected. She placed the menus on the table and seated us then left to get us our drinks.

“You look as if I’m going to take you out back and execute you, you didn’t seem so afraid last night.”

“A man I don’t know showed up at the place where I work and practically demanded I go get food with him. Excuse me if I’m a little on edge.” I kept my back straight and my voice didn’t waver, something I was proud my mother had taught me but I was sure she hadn’t expected me to be using it on the leader of a mafia.

“Point taken.” Roan smirked then went back to looking at the menu. “I suggest the ribeye, though the bison is wonderful too.”

A waitress appeared with our drinks and asked if we wanted any appetizers, which led to Roan getting an order of cured meats, then she left us to continue looking over the menu.

“Seriously,” I started when she was out of ear shot, “what am I doing here, Roan?”

Roan looked up at me and then sighed, folding his menu closed and leaning onto the table. “I am here to persuade you to join Marcus and I in our attempt to wipe this city of the blight that is the Wallaces.”

“What?” I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but sometimes my mouth doesn’t listen.

“I know about the decision you have to make, Clarke, and I want you to agree to it.” Roan’s gaze was heavy on me and I felt as if he was staring right through me.

“Why?”

“Because you’re assertive, and you pay attention to the details that other’s might often look over. I think you would be a valuable asset to us, so I would like for you to agree to help us.”

“And what if I don’t? Are you going to put a price out on my head?” I cocked my eyebrow and returned his stare.

“Kane wouldn’t appreciate it so, no, I am not going to put a hit on you. I am not my mother and I understand the value in allowing people to make decisions for themselves.” Roan leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in front of him. “I can see the type of person you are, Clarke, and I can also see that you _want_ to say yes.”

I didn’t dare speak, or try to tell him no because, well, he was right. And he knew it. “There was a look in your eye when you first walked into the meeting room and I could tell that you wanted to be apart of it. You should want to bring these people down more than any of us.”

My heart stopped beating and before I could respond, I saw a flash of messy black curls out of the corner of my eye and towards the hallway that led to the bathroom and I knew immediately that Bellamy was there. I half expected him to walk up to the table and say that he was bringing me home, but I knew that causing a scene in a place like this wouldn’t have been the best decision.

“I need to use the bathroom, excuse me.” Without waiting for a word from Roan, I pushed my chair back and headed towards the hall where I had seen Bellamy. There was no one in the hallway and there were only two doors that marked the bathroom and I stopped in the hall to look around.

Suddenly, I saw the door to my right open and two hands flew out, bringing me into the girls’ bathroom. Bellamy was standing before me with wild hair and equally wild eyes. He was panting, as if he had ran from somewhere, and all I could do was look at him. He reached around me and locked the door.

“Bellamy.” I moved forward to brush some curls off his forehead and he caught my hand.

“What are you _doing_ , Clarke?” His voice was rough and it made me wonder if he had, in fact, ran to the restaurant. “What were you _thinking?_ ”

“I couldn’t exactly say _no_.” My brows knitted together as I looked at him. “I’m fine, Bellamy. He wanted to say thank you for patching him up and he wanted to convince me to say yes to helping all of you.”

“But you don’t understand!” Bellamy’s voice carried in the small room and he took a step back from me. “He’s the head of the _mafia_ , Clarke.”

“I’m well aware of that, Bellamy.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. “I know some of the things he’s done and I know what I could be getting myself into by agreeing to help you and Kane. I’m not a child.”

“No, but you’re my girlfriend and you put yourself into harm’s way by leaving that building with him!”

“Why are you so angry with me?” I could feel my own anger rising in my chest as I looked at him.

“There are people who want Roan dead, Clarke, and by associating yourself in broad daylight with him means that you could be linked to him.” Bellamy’s eyes never left mine. “You could be a _target_ and there wouldn’t be anything I could do to stop it.” I could see the worry and pain in his eyes as he kept talking. “Roan comes from a dangerous family, and they have dangerous enemies. _He_ is protected but if anyone believes that you would be a way to get to him, then they wouldn’t hesitate to do something.”

Everything clicked, and Bellamy’s voice got softer. “You’re here because I didn’t try to stop you last night. If I had you wouldn’t have met him and then he wouldn’t have been shown up today.”

“Kane didn’t try to stop me either.” I said softly and moved towards him. Now that I was closer to him, I could see that he was shaking. _He’s scared._

“He didn’t know. I did.” Bellamy’s lips pressed together into a firm line. “If anything were to happen to you, Clarke, I would never be able to forgive myself. If you want to say yes, then that’s you’re decision but you have to know that I just want you to be save.” He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“ _Nothing_ is going to happen to me, Bellamy.” I moved closer and placed my hands on his chest. “I’m sorry you were so worried about me.”

“I’m always worried about you, Princess.” Bellamy’s hand cradled the side of my face and I leaned into it.

“That certainly can’t be good for your health.” I teased and it drew a reluctant laugh from him. “But, if you ever get angry at me again without explaining why then I’ll definitely be bad for your health, got it?” I raised my eyebrows at him and he laughed.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry for that.”

“Promise we’ll talk from now on?”

“I promise.” He held my gaze and I let myself get swept up in his brown eyes as he brought his lips down to mine. The kiss was soft and I moved my hands up to wrap around his neck. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see you off this morning.” Bellamy rested his forehead against mine.

“It’s okay, but next time I’m barging into Kane’s office and dragging you out.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Bellamy leaned down then kissed me again, pulling me closer to him as if he wanted to meld our bodies together. He licked his way into my mouth and I realized just how much you can miss kissing somebody. His hand that had been holding my face moved to my hair and he tugged slightly, causing me to gasp. I could feel his smile against my lips as he wrapped an arm around waist and tugged slightly on my hair again as he kissed his way down my jaw.

“ _Bellamy_.” I sighed as he left open mouth kisses down my neck and when sucked on my pulse point, my hands clenched around the fabric of his shirt. The fact that we were standing in a public bathroom completely left my mind and I got whiplash from how sudden things had changed. “Bellamy you’re going to leave a mark.” I could barely get the words out but Bellamy pulled back, though when he did it stung.

“I’m sorry,” is what he said but the look on his face said he was anything but. “I just want Roan to know that you’re taken.” There was a heat in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before, but it stirred something in me.

“I think you’re just being paranoid.” I teased.

“You haven’t seen the way he looks at you.”

“And how does he look at me?”

“Not in a way that I like.” The corners of Bellamy’s mouth turned upwards as he looked down at me. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Bellamy’s admission made me realize that I didn’t like the girls who fawned over him at the bar, or wherever we went really. I smiled at him.

“Mmm…do you work tonight?” He nodded and I smirked before knotting my fingers in his hair and crashed his lips back to mine. This time, I was the one leaving a mark. When I pulled back and smiled at my handiwork, Bellamy massaged my scalp.

“You’re possessive, aren’t you?”

“I just want those girls to know that you’re taken.” I smiled up at him and leaned into his chest. “Though I think it’ll hurt your tips for the night. Sorry about that.”

Bellamy grinned. “No, you’re not.”

“No, not really.” I laughed. “But you aren’t either.”

“Nope, I’m not.” Bellamy leaned down to kiss me again and thought from earlier popped back into my head.

“Did Kane set down rules for us?”

Bellamy blinked at me then a cute blush appeared high on his cheekbones. “Uh, yeah. For whenever you’re at the house. How did you know?”

“Harper told me that she and Monty had rules and asked if we did and I didn’t know what to tell her.”

“Yeah, we have some rules.” Bellamy pouted slightly and I giggled.

“But he can’t enforce them at my house.” I grinned at him.

“You’re devious.” He grinned too then leaned down to kiss me again. “I think Kane is waiting on us.”

“Kane’s here?” I glanced towards the door and could feel the heat rise to my cheeks. I reached up and undid my bun, letting my hair fall down so I could hide the mark that was probably already forming on my neck. “Do you think he’ll say something about your neck?”

“Nah, but if he does, we’ll just say you punched me for being a jerk.” Bellamy smiled and reached down, lacing our fingers together. “You ready?” I nodded my head and he led the way towards the bathroom door and unlocked it then poked his head out into the hallway before ushering me out.

As expected, Kane had taken up my empty seat across from Roan and Bellamy walked me towards one of the empty seats on the side and pulled my chair out for me before taking his own. Roan and Kane seemed to be in a stare down with neither of them saying anything, but a waitress appeared with two extra menus and took Bellamy’s drink order.

“Are you okay, Clarke?” Kane finally turned his attention away from Roan but the way he looked at me made me feel as if I was a child again getting reprimanded by my mother.

“I’m fine, Kane, really.”

“I told you the girl was fine.” Roan waved his hand in the air, calling the waitress over. “But if you insist on having this conversation I need food and a drink.”

The waitress took our order but Kane had leaned over and told me to order whatever I liked and not to feel bad about it with a smirk at Roan. Drinks were poured and even I was handed a glass of wine, despite not being old enough to drink, and then the table fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Bellamy leaned against his seat and crossed his arms across his chest, while Roan and Kane seemed to have started their staring game again. I sipped on my wine and tried looking for something to do, but Bellamy caught my eye and gave me a soft smile.

“Okay, what are we doing because the rising testosterone at this table is stifling.” I groaned and sat back in my seat.

“I don’t know that there’s much to talk about other than what you’re decision will be.” Roan leaned on one of the armrests and looked at me. His gaze was heavy and I could see his gaze flick down to my neck. I made a mental note to talk to Raven about her relationship with Roan.

“You don’t have to make a decision right now, Clarke,” Bellamy looked at me then turned a glare towards Roan.

“Bellamy,” Kane took a sip of his whiskey and then set the glass down on the table. “I think it would be best if Clarke did make her decision.” Kane looked from Bellamy to me and I could see how tired he was. “I know I told you that you could take all the time you need, but with the events of today, I believe making a final decision now would be for the best.”

“Kane—”

“Bellamy,” Kane sighed then looked at his son, “you and I both know that this will have to be done at some point.”

“And you decide that the best time is _now_? The day Roan kidnaps her from her work?”

“There was no kidnapping, in fact, she went quite willingly.” Roan smirked at Bellamy and I could see the fire flare behind Bellamy’s eyes.

“If you even—”

“Bellamy, calm down.” Kane growled at him then turned to Roan. “And, you, don’t say something you’re going to regret.”

“Jesus Christ, _enough_.” I set my glass down and looked at the men around the table. “I’ve made my decision, and I’m going to help you. Though I suppose there was never any doubt that I would, was there?”

“No.” Kane’s voice was soft. “But are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure, Kane.” I turned towards the older man. “But I have one stipulation.”

“And what is that?” Roan asked, amused.

“I want to take out Carl Emerson first.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“I don’t like him or how he preys on the secretaries of the company with the promise of getting them a better position or keeping their secrets.” I picked my glass of wine up again. “But I want to be the one to do it.”

“You want to kill a man?” Roan’s eyebrows arched towards his hairline and I turned to look at him.

“No, but I want to make good on my promise of making his life hell.” Before anyone could say anything, the food arrived and I immediately dug into my food.

“Well, there you have it, Marcus.” Roan smirked as he picked up his utensils. “The girl wants to fight.”

“Yes,” Kane said as he looked at me, “it appears she does.”

The rest of the meeting went through more of the logistics of things, like the next time they were going to meet and where the meeting should take place. It appeared as if they moved the meeting places every so often but I found out that there’s a tunnel that leads to the room underneath the shed for quick comings and goings without being seen. _They think of everything, don’t they?_

When everything was over, Bellamy took my hand and led me out the backdoor he had come through and towards an older truck that I hadn’t seen before. He opened my door and helped me inside then slid into the driver’s seat and pulled out from where he had been parked in the back of the restaurant.

“Kane bought me this truck when I was sixteen,” Bellamy explained, “saying that if I still insisted on going to my underground fights then he didn’t want me walking back at night.”

“And you still have it?” I looked around at the interior and despite it needing a better paint job on the outside, the inside actually wasn’t that bad.

“Yeah, I mean, it was the first real thing that had been _mine_ and I refuse to get rid of it.” Bellamy turned and smiled at me. “I love this damn thing.”

As we drove, Bellamy asked me about my day at work and we avoided any mention of Roan. I expected him to drive me back to his house but when we turned on the familiar streets by the university, I realized that he was bringing me home.

“You’re bringing me home?” I looked over at him.

“Yeah, I figured you’d want to change out of your work clothes then I was wondering if you’d want to keep me company at work tonight? I know it’s not the most interesting thing in the world, but Octavia will be handling the ice cream and I think Murphy said something about trying to get Emori to come?”

“Bellamy, you don’t have to lure me into hanging out at the place you work with the promise of my friends being there.” I leaned my head on the headrest and looked at him. “You’re enough for me to want to come but them being there is definitely a bonus since you won’t give me any alcohol.” I teased.

Bellamy chuckled and glanced at me before he turned down my road. “After today, I think I can make an exception.”

Bellamy sprawled out on my bed while I looked for something to wear. He looked as if he had fallen asleep by the time I decided on what to wear and the picture of him asleep in my bed made my heart stutter. His hand was draped over his stomach and his lips were slightly parted. With the evening sunlight coming in through my windows, he looked as if he was glowing. I smiled then gently climbed into the bed next to him and as soon as I settled in next to him, he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer to him.

“We should just stay here.” Bellamy murmured into my hair. “No bar tonight.”

“That sounds nice,” I moved closer towards him. “I’ve been waiting to get you into bed.”

I could feel him smile. “Mhm...” Bellamy kissed my shoulder.

“Do you think that Kane would say anything if you stayed here tonight?” I murmured and Bellamy opened his eyes.

“We don’t need to worry about Kane,” Bellamy ran his hand up and down my back. “Can I spend the night tonight?”

“Yeah.” I smiled and Bellamy did the same before moving forward to kiss the tip of my nose and I giggled. “But you’re sleeping in here with me tonight.”

“As long as you want me to.”

“I want.” I moved closer and gave him a quick kiss. “But it’s getting close to your shift starting.”

Bellamy made a noise of protest, gave my shoulder a kiss, then hauled himself out of my bed. I thought back to the morning when he’d worked all night then made breakfast for everyone, and ended up spending the entire day riding around on his motorcycle; he seemed as if he was never tired but looking at him, I realized that he must’ve been exhausted that day but still aimed to make the day great.

He shuffled into my bathroom and I finished getting ready, then we both got into his truck and started towards the bar. Despite the events of the day, I realized that just driving through the city with the setting sun peeking through the tall buildings made me feel calm. Not to mention that the way Bellamy’s thumb kept rubbing the inside of my leg was enough to make me want to suggest going back home. He pulled into his employee parking spot and led me in through the back of the building, then through the ‘break room’ which had a couch, a tv, and mini fridge with a microwave on top of it.

When we emerged in the hallway near the bathrooms, Bellamy gave me a kiss on the cheek before slipping into the bar and I spotted Emori already sitting in the middle of the stools with her legs propped up on the empty stool beside her. She was talking to Murphy when I walked up and I grinned as I slid onto the stool, effectively knocking off her feet.

Emori turned, her mouth already open to yell at whoever just did that, and I kept grinning at her. “You’re lucky I look before I swing, bitch.” She laughed then leaned over to give me a side hug. “But I was saving that for you anyway.”

“Thanks, Em.”

“Hey, Griffin.” Murphy leaned onto the bar. “Heard you had a fun lunch experience.”

“God, don’t remind me.” I groaned then rested my head in my hand. “What would you suggest drinking after that?”

He smirked. “Be right back.”

Emori sipped on her jack and coke, slightly swiveling around on her stool as she looked at me. “What happened with lunch?”

_Uh…how do I explain this?_ I chanced a look towards Bellamy but he was busy with another customer and Murphy’s back was to the both of us. “An old family friend stopped by and wanted to take me out to lunch.” I shrugged. “Didn’t want to say no, but I didn’t exactly want to go either.”

“Yeah, from what you’ve told me about family friends, I wouldn’t want to be around them either.” Emori kept sipping on her drink but something caught her attention over my shoulder and she hopped off the stool. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched her walk over to a group of people and head straight for a brunette that was talking to another girl. The brunette turned towards Emori and gave her was seemed like an awkward hug; the two of them talked for a minute and then Emori turned around and headed back towards her seat, holding up a wad of cash.

“Here.” Murphy set a glass down beside me and I turned towards him. “On the house.” The contents inside the glass were light blue and it looked like a slushy with green liquid poured on top and a straw.

“What is it?”

“Monty and Jasper have their alcohol secrets and I have mine.” Emori took her seat and started counting the cash she had pulled from that girl’s pocket, only now that she was close I could tell that she had also gotten a necklace. “Where the hell did you get that?”

Emori smirked at him. “See that girl over there by that poster?” She pointed and Murphy slid his eyes in the girl’s direction with out moving his head. “She got me kicked out of school for stealing a lock box from the teacher’s lounge.”

“So, what, you just decided to go say hi?” I chuckled.

“Not just say hi, obviously.” She grinned then set a twenty down on the bar. “A round of shots for me and my girl.”

“I can’t believe you just stole from her.” Murphy ran his hands over his face. “Fucking Echo.”

“Echo?” Bellamy leaned onto the bar and looked between the three of us. “What about her?”

“You know her?” I raised an eyebrow at Bellamy who shrugged.

“Not by choice.”

“I just took some money for the pain and suffering she caused me, do biggie.”

Bellamy’s eyes widened a fraction as he looked at Emori. “Make sure to remind me to keep my wallet locked away when you’re around.” Bellamy teased but I could see the strain around his eyes.

“I would keep that in mind.” Emori smiled then turned back towards Murphy. “So, shots?”

Murphy and Bellamy exchanged a look but Murphy turned around and poured us each two shots and slid them over to us. Emori and I clinked our shot glasses together and tipped our heads back. The drink Murphy had made me compared to the tequila shots was a lot easier on my throat, and thankfully Emori didn’t seem like she wanted to get drunk seeing that it was only Thursday night.

Eventually, when Bellamy was busying taking a group of guys’ orders, I went up to the roof to see Octavia. She was swirling around a smoothie she must’ve made for herself and when she caught sight of me, she smiled.

“Clarke!” She leaned over the counter and gave me a hug. “Glad to see you’re still in one piece after today.”

“Yeah, me too.” I sighed and slid into the empty seat. “I already asked Murphy for a drink he recommended after today so what do you recommend ice cream wise?”

“Bell’s favorite go-to on a bad day.” Octavia smile then took out a paper bowl and started filling it with chocolate ice cream. “Kane told me you agreed to help us. But what’s the deal with Emerson?”

“The night of the work event when I got high with Jasper, he tried to blackmail me by saying he wouldn’t tell anyone that I was high as long as I did _something_ for him.” I enunciated the ‘something’ and Octavia scrunched up her face in disgust.

“And to think that Thalia is sleeping with him because she thinks he’ll give her a position at his personal office with a raise.” Octavia sighed and dumped a scoop of cut up brownies into the ice cream and poured chocolate syrup over it. “She’s a bitch, but I really feel bad for her.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Alright, ta-dah!” Octavia pushed the bowl of ice cream over to me. “So, after a hard day Bellamy goes for chocolate on chocolate on chocolate.” I stared at the concoction in front of me and laughed.

“I have a feeling I’m going to be eating ice cream a lot from now on.” I said as I got a spoonful of ice cream.

“I know I do.” Octavia smiled then started sipping on her smoothie again.

I stayed up on the roof until I finished my ice cream then I went back downstairs to the bar. Emori wasn’t at the bar but before I could look around for her, two hands grabbed me from the dance floor and I turned to a grinning Emori. I laughed as she drew me into the crowd of people. There weren’t as many on a Thursday night as there usually was on the weekends, but there was enough to where I didn’t have to be self-conscious about my dancing technique.

When we finished dancing, we both headed back to the bar together, and I could see a girl leaning over the counter towards Bellamy. _A little too close for comfort._ Bellamy turned towards Murphy when he said something and before Bellamy could leave, the girl reached out and caught his arm. Bellamy turned back and shook his head then moved his arm out of her grasp.

I could feel Emori’s grip tighten on my arm and I looked over at her. “I think she needs a lesson in courtesy. Don’t you?”

“I think so, too.”

Emori and I both walked over to where the girl was slowly sipping her drink and looking at Bellamy. Emori leaned on the counter beside the girl and the girl just lazily looked over Emori before flipping her hair over her shoulder. But Emori only leaned onto the counter, directly into her line of sight.

“It’s rude to grab someone without their permission.”

“Excuse me?” The girl quit sipping on her drink and stared at Emori.

“She’s right,” I started, “you’re lucky he was polite about it.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “He’s just playing hard to get. Not that the two of you would know anything about that.” She looked me up and down and I could feel a laugh bubbling in my throat.

“I think it’s time you called it a night.” Emori’s voice was low and when I looked at her, I could see the same girl who told Jason Mcallistar to fuck off senior year and gave him a broken nose when he slapped my ass. Her eyes were all steel.

“And what are you doing to do? Make me leave?” The girl straightened on her stool and swiveled around to face Emori completely.

“If that’s what you want.”

Bellamy seemed to catch on to what was happening because he started back towards us and the girl moved slightly in her seat to follow his movement, but he walked right past her and stopped in front of me.

“Hey, babe.” I hopped onto my knees on top of the stool and leaned over the bar, giving Bellamy a loud kiss. “You’re still riding home with me tonight, right?”

The corners of Bellamy’s mouth turned upwards. _Of course we’re going home together tonight, he’s the one who drove me here._ “Of course.” I kept my focus on Bellamy but the girl beside me huffed then slid off her seat and disappeared into the crowd. Emori took her vacant spot. Bellamy let out a low whistle as he leaned onto the counter. “I thought the two of you were going to rip her apart.”

“I do some maiming, but Emori is the fighter.”

“I am.”

“She busted Jason Mcallistar’s nose senior year.”

“He deserved it.”

“Who deserved what?” Murphy walked over, cleaning as glass as he went.

“We’re just talking about how Emori beat up a guy.”

“Ooh, I want to hear it.”

“Maybe another time, John.” Emori smiled at him and I was momentarily stunned. I had never seen Emori look so _soft_ while looking at someone. Especially a guy.

I turned my attention back to Bellamy who seemed to be as shocked by the interaction as I was. When he turned back to me, he smiled. “I like how you get protective.”

“She grabbed you,” I shrugged, “that’s just being rude.”

“But you came to save me.” He kept smiling at me and it melted my heart.

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll always be there to save you.” I grinned at him and he leaned over to give me a kiss.

“But I have some bad news, Jasper accidentally fell off the roof so he’s not coming in tonight and I need to cover for him.”

“What the fuck, why was he on the roof?”

“He tried to do a cannonball into the pool,” Murphy called over to us, “Monty’s with him so I’m staying here too.”

“What about Miller?”

“He’s on vacation with his boyfriend.” I nodded my head but I could see Bellamy’s eyes soften. “I know we weren’t planning on being here this long, so if you want to go home at any point then I wouldn’t blame you.”

I leaned over and gave him a kiss. “I said I’d stay during your shift and that means you’re _entire_ shift. Besides, I’m making sure you’re in my bed tonight.”

Bellamy ducked his head and I couldn’t hide my grin. “I bet you are.”

Bellamy gave me one more kiss before turning back to some customers and I sipped on the coke that he had placed in front of me while Emori talked to Murphy. It was going to be a long night for both of us, but I didn’t mind it. If I really wanted to, I could probably call Jaha the next morning and take off work if I explained to him what happened, but I had spent many nights staying up and studying for an exam and still made my morning class.

For the rest of the night, I talked with Emori until she went home around midnight and when Octavia got off her shift, she came down to talk for a little bit but left shortly after so she could go home and check on Jasper. Murphy would slide me a drink every now and then and Bellamy would follow up with a glass of water. Despite spending my night in the bar, I enjoyed it.

By the time the guys closed down the bar at two o’clock, they both looked like they were ready to pass out right then. Bellamy tried to get Murphy to crash on the couch in the break room since he didn’t like the idea of him falling asleep at the wheel, but Murphy fought Bellamy until I pulled him into the truck with us and told him that he would be sleeping on my couch.

“I don’t want to hear the two of y’all, I’m too damn tired.” Murphy yawned as I unlocked my door.

“You’re one to talk, asshole.” Bellamy grumbled as I shuffled them both through my front door.

“The two of you are grumpy when you’re tired.”

“I’m not grumpy.” Bellamy’s eyes were nearly closed and I had to smile.

“Yes you are,” Murphy turned towards me, “he’s grumpy.”

“Bitch.”

“Okay, no more name calling.” I pushed Bellamy towards my hallway and motioned towards the couch for Murphy. “I’ll be back in a minute with a pillow and blanket.”

Murphy shuffled towards my couch then fell face first onto it. “Clarke’s nicer than you.”

“And you.”

“Keep walking, Bellamy.” I guided Bellamy into my bedroom and he murmured something that sounded like ‘bed’ then took off his jeans and his t-shirt and fell into bed. I shook my head and laughed before grabbing a spare blanket out of my closet and one of the pillows from my floor.

Murphy was almost asleep by the time I reappeared into the living room but he took both of them and mumbled thanks before rolling onto his stomach and snoring. When I got back into my room, Bellamy seemed to be asleep so I slipped into the bathroom to put on my pajamas and brush my teeth then I set out a bottle of water for each of them.

When I slid under the covers, Bellamy’s eyes didn’t open but he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. “Mine.” He kissed my shoulder. Good night, Princess.”

“Good night, Bellamy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, she got him into bed lol but I can see a budding friendship between Clarke and Roan as well as Clarke and Murphy. Aside from Bellamy, if you mess with her you're going to have to deal with both of them. 
> 
> I hope you liked it and I really appreciate all of the love you've shown this fic!!  
> Xx


	18. Well, I wanted in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets her wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I am really sorry for not updating for so long! I got caught up with school and my other fics and this one was taking a lot of time. But I'm back now! I'll be honest, it might take me a while to get back into the feel of this fic since I can't exactly remember where I was going with it. I mean, I remember what the plot progression of this story is going to be, but it's the little things I had planned that I can't exactly remember now lol So, that being said, I'm easing myself back into this story, and I'm going to do my best to keep a consistent schedule, I just haven't figured out what it's going to be yet.
> 
> But, without further delay, here is chapter 18!

I woke up to light coming in through the blinds and feeling very warm. It was only when I woke up more that I realized I was wrapped around Clarke and that we were both in her bed. I was laying on my stomach with my head resting just above her stomach and my arm draped across her hips, and I figured I was probably too heavy for her, but when I moved to get off her, her arms caged me in.

“Uh-uh.” Her voice was laden with sleep, and when I turned my head to look at her, her eyes were still closed.

“I’m not too heavy?”

“Uh-uh.”

I chuckled lightly. “Alright, I’ll stay here.”

“Mhm.”

I settled back on her, and tried to ignore the pounding in my head. I didn’t drink last night, but my feet were killing me as well as my lower back, and I was trying to will myself to go back to sleep but that didn’t last long until a bang came from her bedroom door. “I’m hungry!” Murphy called.

“Oh, no, what time is it?” I turned in time to see Clarke’s eyes fly open, and she reached for her phone on her nightstand. “ _Fuck_. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” I pulled myself off her and she immediately rolled out of bed. “I’m late for work.”

“Can you call in sick?” I rolled onto my back as I watched Clarke pull a skirt and a shirt out of her closet. “They didn’t even give you a lunch break yesterday.”

“Bellamy, are you trying to get me to play hookie?” Clarke raised an eyebrow at me and I smiled.

“I would never.”

“Yes, he would.” Murphy called from the other side of the door and I groaned.

“Fuck off, Murphy!”

“I can’t afford to miss a full workday,” Clarke murmured as she kneeled onto the bed. “I have to get ready.”

I knew she was right, so I didn’t do anything other than bring her in for another kiss, even though I wanted to pull her back into the bed with me. Of course, one talk with Kane and he would make sure that she’s taken care of, but I knew that she wouldn’t want that. Clarke crawled off the bed and opened the door, making her way into the bathroom, and I decided to get up put on my clothes and join Murphy out in the living room.

“I’m stuck here since you drove last night and I need food,” Murphy groaned.

“There’s a diner literally right down the street.” I shook my head and pulled a bottle of water out of Clarke’s cabinet.

“I have to go!” Clarke emerged from her bathroom and I was surprised at how quickly she got ready. “I’m not sure how much food I have, but feel free to help yourselves.”

“You can’t even stay for breakfast?” I asked and she smiled a little.

“I’ll grab something from work.” She leaned up on her tip toes and gave me a kiss. “I’ll text you.”

“Drive safe.”

“Always.” With a wink to me and a goodbye to Murphy, Clarke disappeared out the front door and, for the second time, I was left staring after her.

I could feel Murphy looking at me, and when I turned towards him, I raised my eyebrow. “What?”

“What the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shook my head then started back towards the bedroom to find my phone. When I grabbed it, there were texts from everyone at home asking where Murphy and I were, then one from Kane saying that he hoped Murphy and I were at Clarke’s. I sent a text to everyone then shoved my phone in my pocket.

“Finally!” Murphy sat up as I entered the living room. “Can we go get my car now?”

“Yeah, we’re going to get your car.”

I planned to get home and shower, but as soon as I stepped through the front door, I got a text from Kane saying that there was a mandatory meeting in the conference room, and I groaned as I made my way to the laundry room to grab a clean shirt, then towards the shed.

When I made my way into the room, I was surprised to see Roan and Indra already there along with everyone else. Everyone except Harper was waiting, since she was at work, even Jasper was there despite the fact that he fell off a roof, and Roan had brought Ontari and Indra brought Lincoln, and all of them were sitting around the table, which was never really a thing, with Kane at one end and an empty seat for me at the other. _Full house_. None of our meetings are ever held in the daylight, so the fact that everyone was here, meant that something must have happened.

“Finally, he shows.” Rowan leaned back in his chair, and I fought my eyeroll.

“Now, we can finally get into why you want to attack Carl Emerson first.” Indra looked around the table and I could feel everyone sit up a little straighter at it. “All on the word of some girl?”

“As I’ve said, Indra, given the circumstances if we take Emerson out of the equation sooner rather than later then that leaves better access to the Wallaces.” Kane leans forward and rests his elbows on the table.

“I don’t see why we have to go on what this _girl_ says,” Ontari groans. “We’ve been planning this long before she came along.”

“Ontari, enough.” Roan glares at her, then turns to face the rest of the room. “I agree with Kane that targeting Emerson would be our best option. It’s no different than the attack on Lovejoy.”

“The attack on Lovejoy was a disaster,” Indra points out. “If neither of you can explain why there has been this sudden change of heart, then I will have no other choice but to back out of this arrangement.”

Kane’s eyes moved to mine, and I could tell that he was debating on how much he should tell them. Even though Clarke didn’t outright say it, I could tell that Roan knowing her name scared her, but I also knew that she was adamant about taking out Emerson first. Kane raised an eyebrow and I took that as my signal to tell them what was happening.

“The girl you’re referring to is named Clarke Griffin, the daughter of Abigail and Jake Griffin.” My voice was calm as I spoke.

“Their daughter?” Indra looked from between me and Kane. “She’s the daughter of the two people who helped put all of this into action?”

“Yeah, she is.” I nodded my head. “And she had one stipulation for joining us, and it was to take out Carl Emerson first. He’s already threatened her because she wouldn’t let him blackmail her, and he’s preying on the secretaries at Arkadian. Emerson knows he’s not as important as Kane or the Wallaces, but he acts like he is, and I think that’s a good enough reason to take him out while we have a chance.”

“And the girl, Clarke, is okay with knowing that she’s going to be the reason a man dies?” It’s Lincoln who asks, and I turned my attention towards him.

“She doesn’t want to kill him, but she does want to make his life hell. I want to destroy him to the point where Cage and Dante don’t even want to help him get out of the mess he’s created for himself.”

No one says anything, but Kane gives me a small nod. “I understand your reservations, Indra, but Bellamy makes a good point. Emerson believes that he has more power than he does, and it comes from his connection to Cage. He is one of the families, and that also makes him a threat.”

Indra looked at Kane for a beat, then Roan, then me, and back to Kane. “Well,” she sighed and leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms over her chest. “I do agree that Emerson needs to be taken out, but I do not want this to be the shit show that Lovejoy was. Is that understood?”

“I understand.” Kane nodded. “If we do this, then it will be thought out thoroughly, I can assure you.”

“I’ll believe that, when I see it.”

“Then,” Rowan leaned onto the table and smiled. “Let’s get to planning.”

Clarke texted me about twenty minutes into the meeting saying that she got to work on time and even though I wanted to answer it, I knew no one would be happy if I started texting during the planning process. Everyone can get away with it sometimes, but they have to pick and choose what’s acceptable and what’s not. Ontari groaned about having to plan a way to make Emerson fall from grace when all they had to do was hire a hitman to do the job, and Roan made sure to explain, again, that they didn’t want to kill him.

“Shouldn’t Clarke be here to help plan if this is her idea?” Octavia looked around the room, effectively cutting everyone off.

“Octavia’s got a point,” Raven chimed in. “If this is what Clarke wants then she should be in on it. Harper isn’t here either.”

“We’re mainly going over what we can do, we haven’t started planning anything yet.” Kane leaned back in his chair. “Besides, Clarke just agreed to join, yesterday, we should ease her into this.”

“Doing what exactly?” Octavia raised an eyebrow.

“Since she and Harper work at Arkadian, I would suggest having the two of them keep an eye on Cage and Emerson. If what some of you are saying is true, then that shouldn’t be too hard.” Indra looked around the table.

“I don’t like the idea of Clarke and Harper being used as ploys.” I thought back on the conversation I had with Murphy when Harper came home after Clarke’s first day at work.

“I don’t either.” Monty chimed in.

“They wouldn’t be used as ploys, you could just think of it as Harper having an extra pair of eyes to help her.” Indra said calmly.

I could feel my jaw tick. “I won’t agree until we talk to Clarke and Harper. If they’re going to have to be the ones doing it, then they need to agree to it. Not have us just tell them what’s happening.”

“I agree.” Kane leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of his face. “They should decide. So, I suggest we give them the weekend, and then I will let everyone know of their decision.”

There was some grumbling, mainly from Ontari, which, I didn’t even know why Roan even brought her to meetings like this, but in the end everyone agreed.

Once Kane dismissed all of us, I made my way back into the house and then into the bathroom. Kane still had me working at the bar over the weekend since Miller was still on vacation, and with Jasper still out of commission for another day, and _then_ Monty and Harper’s anniversary was coming up. So, even though I wouldn’t have to be at the bar that night, I still didn’t have much time off.

Just as I was getting out of the shower, a thought popped into my mind and I picked up my phone, pulling up my conversation with Clarke, then figured I should find Monty and talk to him about what happened at the meeting. I still didn’t like the idea of Clarke getting involved in all of this, but, if she was going to join us then she was going to do it right.

 

* * *

 

I sighed as I leaned back in my chair and stretched my fingers out in front of me. Apparently, when the summer starts, a lot more people end up needing lawyers than I realized. Much like yesterday, there was a nonstop influx of people wanting to make appointments, getting upset when they couldn’t just do a walk-in, which annoyed all of the secretaries to no end because people didn’t seem to realized that they couldn’t just expect people to drop everything for them. But, at least, Harper and I were going to get our lunch break today.

“How is Jasper doing?”

“He’s feeling a little better.” Harper leaned back in her chair and yawned. “If you ever hear Jasper say he can make the biggest cannonball, don’t let him get near the roof.”

“Duly noted,” I chuckled lightly. “Does this happen often?”

Harper tilts her head from side to side. “Define often. Last time he broke his wrist because he tried to jump over the shed on a skateboard.”

I could feel my eyebrows arch up towards my hairline. “And somehow I’m not surprised.” I laughed and Harper did the same.

“Yeah, you learn to live with it.” She reached for her phone and looked at the time. “Do you want to go grab lunch? I know you didn’t eat breakfast.”

“I had an apple!”

“Which is definitely not breakfast.” Harper rolled her eyes. “What—”

“Do you really have a hickey?” Thalia paused as she went to sit down in her chair. “What are you? A teenager?”

I could see Lila move her hand up to her neck, but I didn’t see a mark. _She must have covered it_. “Don’t you have other things to do than question me about my relationship life?”

“And you accused me of sleeping my way to the top.” Thalia shook her head. “I saw that guy’s suit, Clarke. What company does he work for?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Harper rolled her eyes. “Emerson not doing it for you anymore?”

“You—”

“Clarke!” Jaha’s voice echoed through the lobby and I turned to look at him.

“Hey, Jaha.” I smiled. “What’s up?”

“Well, I realized that you’ve been working here for a month and I haven’t taken you out to lunch. And since I know you were asked to stay through your shift yesterday, I thought I would have lunch on me today.”

“Oh, but, Mr. Jaha,” Lila leans over and smiles, “she left thirty minutes early yesterday to make up for her missed lunch.”

“I am well aware of that, Lila, just as I am well aware of you and Thalia’s hour-long lunch breaks after being asked to stay.”

I could see Harper try to hide her snicker behind her hand and Thalia and Lila turned red. “Could Harper come, too? I was going to get lunch with her.”

Jaha turned towards Harper and smiled. “Of course.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jaha. I appreciate it.” Harper smiled.

“Oh, it’s no problem. Are the two of you ready?”

“Yeah, Uncle Theo. Let’s go.” Harper and I grinned at each other and stood up, not sparing a second glance towards Thalia or Lila.

Jaha led the way out of the building and we followed him towards his car. With it being the end of May, the temperature was stifling so there was no way any of us were  going to be walking anywhere for food. Harper slid into the backseat and I sat down in the passenger seat, and Jaha pulled out of the driveway.

“So, how was your lunch with Roan Azgeda?” Jaha kept his eyes on the road, but I caught sight of Harper in the rear view mirror.

“I was under the impression that the cameras weren’t actually watched most of the time.” I sighed and sunk back into the chair.

“ _Clarke_.”

I sighed and turned in my seat so I could see him and Harper. “When Wells and I went on our double date Wednesday night, Bellamy got a call from Kane.”

“Clarke!” Harper’s eyes went wide and I looked at her.

“Kane and Jaha know each other, Harp, it’s okay.” I gave her a small smile before turning back to Jaha. “I told him I wanted to go with him and, you know me, there was no way I wasn’t going.”

Jaha smirked. “Don’t I.”

“When we got there, we found out that a hit Roan planned didn’t go well and I stitched him up. I didn’t think much of it, but when he left he knew my name. I’m still not sure how that happened, but…” I shrugged. “Then he said that he wanted to thank me yesterday and that’s why he showed up to bring me out to eat. But Kane and Bellamy showed up shortly after getting to the restaurant.”

“This is what I was worried about.” Jaha sighs and then pulls into a hole-in-the-wall diner that he used to bring Wells and I too when we were younger.

After we get a table, we all decide to go through the menu to place our orders before getting back to the conversation. The inside of the diner looks like it’s a building out of time, with an old-school Coca-Cola sign and a lot of other things that look like they’re from the sixties. _I always loved this place_.

“Mr. Jaha—”

“You can just call me Jaha, Harper.” He smiled.

“Okay, Jaha.” Harper smiled, too. “How do you know pops?”

Uncle Theo raised an eyebrow, an amused look on his face. “I’ve known him for years. We met through Clarke’s parents.”

“And you— _know_?” Harper raised her eyebrows. “About everything?”

“I help him where I can. But I try to separate myself from most of it.”

A knowing smile made its way onto Haper’s face. “You’re the reason why everyone is able to get into the Arkadian events, aren’t you?”

“Possibly.” Jaha smiled slightly. “And I also supply Kane with information wherever I can.”

“Does Dante or Cage know about Roan showing up yesterday?” I whispered, and Jaha shook his head.

“No. And the tape will be recorded over in a week.”

“I can have it gone now.” Harper raised one of her eyebrows. “If you prefer.”

“I may have to take you up on that.” Jaha nodded his head then turned back to me. “You never answered what was talked about during your time at lunch yesterday.”

“He wanted to convince me to join.” I took a sip of my drink and looked at Jaha. “And I said yes.”

“You had to make a decision? So soon?”

“It’s been two weeks, and they were right. I couldn’t keep putting off my decision because there are things that need to be done. I just had one stipulation.”

“And what was that?”

“I want to take out Emerson first.” I whispered.

Jaha raised his eyebrows and didn’t say anything as he looked at me. I couldn’t tell how long he looked at me, until, eventually, he spoke. “Are you sure you want to do this, Clarke?”

“I’ve thought about it a lot, and, yeah, I am.”

“I know you’re worried, Jaha,” Harper leaned onto the table, “but we’re not going to let anything happen to her. Kane doesn’t ask us to do anything that we don’t want to do, and I _know_ that Bellamy will do whatever he can to keep her safe.”

“Bellamy?” Jaha’s eyebrows arched up and he turned to look at me. “Who is Bellamy?”

“Oh, um…” I could feel the heat rise to my face and I noticed Harper’s mouth form a small _o_ when she seemed to figure out what was happening. “He’s my boyfriend. And he may also be Kane’s adoptive son.” I mumbled the last part and Jaha let out a deep sight.

“Clarke.” He ran his hand over his face and I was reminded of how similar he and Wells are. “Please tell me you didn’t join because of him.

“I didn’t. If it’s any consolation, Bellamy doesn’t exactly like the idea of me getting wrapped up in this, but I can’t just sit back and not do anything when I know what’s going on.”

Jaha sighed deeply, and the conversation was cut off while our food was placed in front of us, but when Jaha looked at me again, he gave me a small smile. “Well, like I said, I’m not going to stop you. But I wonder why you hadn’t told me about what happened yesterday.”

“I was going to, I promise, but after that I just wanted to relax for a while and not think about it.”

“Hm.” Jaha ran his hand across his chin. “I can’t exactly fault you for being shaken up after that. Are you sure there’s nothing else that’s happened?”

“Yeah, Uncle Theo, I’m sure.”

“Okay, then.” Jaha nodded his head an gave me a small smile. “I’ll also talk to Kane, just to make sure that he understands the stipulations for keeping my help.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I smiled then dug into my food.

For the rest of our lunch, Jaha took time to get to know Harper and they seemed to really get along. He asked her what she was majoring in and if she had any plans for the summer, and in turn she asked him how he liked his time in politics. He even had a story or two about Kane that Harper and I were not expecting and it made me wonder what happened for them to only have a work relationship.

Thirty minutes after we left, the three of us walked back into Arkadian. It seemed like things had calmed down while we were gone, but Thalia and Lila looked sour all the same. I gave Jaha a hug bye and settled into my seat behind the desk, only to start laughing again when Harper brought up one of the Kane stories.

The rest of the shift goes pretty much the same as usual, except there’s more glares towards me and Harper, but we ignore them. I still don’t know much about Kane’s plan to take down the Wallaces, but if Jaha didn’t have any outright objections then I began to wonder what we could do about Emerson. Of course, I had never planned an attack against someone. The only thing I had to worry about for years was passing my exams, but this was just a problem, wasn’t it? And I needed to find a way to the solution.

By the time five o’clock rolled around, Harper and I were both ready to lay down and go to sleep. Except, that wasn’t going to happen because by the time we walked into the parking lot, Bellamy and Monty were waiting for the two of us.

“Hey, this is a nice surprise.” I smiled as I walked up to Bellamy and he pulled me in for a kiss.

“There’s my boyfriend,” Harper gushed as she and Monty kissed, too. “What are the two of you doing here?”

“What? We can’t just surprise our girlfriends at work?” Bellamy asked and I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are we having another double date?”

“Yeah, if the two of you are up for it.” Bellamy smiled.

“What happened?” Harper raised an eyebrow and looked between Monty and Bellamy.

“What makes you think something happened?” I asked.

“Monty is looking apologetic and Bellamy’s hair looks like he’s run a fan through it. So, what happened. Monty?” Harper turned to look at her boyfriend and he shared a look with Bellamy.

“We had a meeting today while the two of you were at work.” Bellamy says.

“Yeah, and we were wanting to get something to eat and talk to y’all about it.” Monty smiled a little.

My eyebrows furrowed together, and I turned back to look at Bellamy. “Y’all usually just wait until everyone gets home to go over it, so why are you here?” I tilted my head to the side as I looked at him, and he didn’t respond. “It’s because it’s about us, isn’t it?”

Bellamy and Monty looked at each other, and I knew I was right. I shared a look with Harper, but Bellamy’s hand running up and down my arm brought my attention to him.

“Let’s go get something to eat.”

Since they got a ride from Murphy before he went to see Emori, I gave Bellamy the keys to my car and Monty took Harper’s. As I slid into my passenger seat, I could feel my heart rate pick up with what they were about to tell us, but also because I was excited. I said that I wanted to be a part of it, and I got my wish. Now, I could guess at what was happening that involved me and Harper. _It can’t be that bad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She should've known that it was going to pick up as soon as she said yes lol
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> Xx

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Twitter at xfanwonderlandx and on Tumblr at xxawalkinwonderlandxx !


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